


When the Brush hits the Canvas

by HelenTheMoon



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adaptation, British English, Flashbacks, Gen, Humor, Mind Screw, Novelization, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reincarnation, Snark, TV Tropes, Typos, irregular updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-05-15 21:16:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 67,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19303987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelenTheMoon/pseuds/HelenTheMoon
Summary: LBW Novelisation. Art can be used for many things. It is the depiction of beauty, the most impactful statement, or perhaps even the fantasy of another, dark reality. A dark world. A dark kingdom.Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda. Obviously.Comments are very welcome.





	1. Yet another morning errand.

_Smoke. Splinters of fire blazing crimson as they were lost in the black void. No, that was wrong. It did not smell like smoke or ashes, even though there was no other word for it. In fact, it did not smell like anything. An impenetrable blanket had covered all senses but sight._

_Above everything stood the omnipotent, golden power of the legend. The Triforce. Scattered into the wind, no trace standing as evidence of its existence. Emptiness took its place, the crimson ashes dancing undisturbed._

_Any hope was lost to him._ Him _? Who was he? Did he have a self? Did any sense of self have place in this void? No; he did have a self. But he felt as if he was a complete stranger._

_All senses returned with vengeance. A weight in his arms occurred to him. Somehow, even without looking, he knew it was a sword and a shield. How did he know did not matter. His breathing was ragged. His throat was dry and sore. His feet ached. Several parts of his body were in pain._

_Yet somehow he still stood._

_Two glowing orbs were high above him. A low rumble, increasing in strength, shook within his bones._ This _. This was the reason he was still standing. He had to defeat it. This was the task that had been set out to him. It was his quest. His duty. His_ destiny _._

_A name came to him. And everything faded in the darkness._

_An ominous sound was heard from behind him. A gate closing…_

… a door knocking.

* * *

With a sigh of frustration at receiving no answer, Gulley opened the door and strolled into Link’s house. “Hey, Link!”, he yelled as he entered, and his eyes fell on his friend. “Huh. Still sleeping.”. Sure enough, Link had decided to sleep in. _Again_. And still wearing his work clothes from the day before, to boot.

Now very much angry – as much as a boy no older than seven could be, at any rate – Gulley proceeded to wake him in the way he knew best. He carefully walked closer to Link’s bed, but making sure he was not anywhere close to it, and took a nice, deep breath.

**“WAKE UP!”.**

He was rewarded with a sound between a groan and a “what”. Or “who”.

Link went through his regular routine of sitting back up and trying to get his bearings from whatever dream it was that he had, but today Gulley would have none of it. “Come on!”, he yelled, running close to his side. “How long are you going to sleep, Link? Do I have to wake you up every morning? I have chores to do! I’ll be waiting outside, so get up – and let’s get going!”. And with that Gulley with quick steps left the house, leaving Link still moving on his bed back and forth like a pendulum.

“Papa was really angry.”, added Gulley once outside. “He said that you can’t be a blacksmith if you don’t get up at the crack of dawn!”.

Link shook awake at the sound of that. _“I’m in trouble!_ ”. He got off his bed as quickly as he could, thankful he was already dressed, and rushed to get his pouch, which he hid underneath that decorative, heart-shaped mask on the wall. A mask that was currently staring at him. Link felt himself shooting it a dark, silent glare, and rushed outside.

Gulley was waiting for him impatiently, arms crossed, tapping his foot on the ground and everything. “Papa is steaming mad that you’re late again.”, said the younger boy as soon as he saw him. _Gee, so much for a good morning_. “C’mon, let’s get to his shop.”.

Nodding in agreement, Link set off the running boy. Which boy came to an abrupt halt. Link crushed on him, but Gulley did not even seem to notice it. What was that kid made of, rock? No, he was dressed in green. A tree trunk, then. “Oh, almost forgot! Don’t forget to check in here.”.

Link stared. “Where?”.

“What do you mean, where?” Gulley pointed to his left. “With that weather vane here!”.

“The Bird Statue?”. _Hold on – Bird Statue?_

“What bird statue? I said it’s a weather vine! Are you still sleepy? Anyway, always give that a spin when pass by. That way the goddesses will hear your prayers! Papa says you should always do that.”.

Something about this conversation sounded awfully familiar… “Why would master tell you about a prayer?”. Link always called Gulley’s father “master”, even though his name was Nick. He was his apprentice, after all.

“…Hmm. Not real sure why he told me that. I’m just a kid. Nobody tells me anything.”. Ouch. “Anyway, I’m going to run on ahead. Catch up after you spin that vane, Link.”. True to his word, Gulley ran down the hill on which Link’s house stood and set off running straight to the smithy.

Link watched Gulley’s retreating form vanish under the trees. He then turned to the weather vane. With slow steps he stood in front of the vane, which depicted a sleeping bird, and touched the inscription – “Link’s House”, it said – on it. Then the most impossible thing happened. The bird _woke up_.

_I should be more disturbed by this_ , thought Link. But in contrast to the “should be”, Link was not surprised at all.

Link’s behaviour had been very strange as of late, at least to himself. Ever since that bizarre dream with the… monster started, Link felt as if he was not in complete control of his actions. From the habit he had developed to sleep with his clothes and his possessions close to him, and the urge he had to carry a weapon on his person at all times – he had a knife hidden in his boot, just to stop his fingers from itching; it was disturbing how _relieved_ he had felt when he strapped it on – to having bizarre déjà vu’s – like just now with the weather vine – or generally having strange feelings when being close to certain items, the mask on his wall being the prime suspect, every single little aspect of Link’s behavior was definitely not rational.

And he knew that. _The Goddesses will hear your prayers, huh?_ With a silent prayer for answers? Link span the weather vane and watched as the pink bird on it replied with a small dance and a whistle. _Prayer received!_

His mood brightened considerably for some inexplicable reason, Link followed Gulley, future earful temporary forgotten.

* * *

A few minutes of intense running – enjoying physically straining activity was another thing that had changed in his behaviour the last few weeks – Link was standing in front of the smith’s house. “You’d better get inside.”, shouted Gulley, who was standing next to the door. “My papa’s waiting, Link! I think Papa might really have it in for you now!”. Just what he wanted to hear. “He really blew his stack! Maybe he’s cooled down by now. But, uh, I sorta doubt it! Now, off you go!”. And Gulley pushed Link towards the door.

“Hey, you’re going to leave me like that!?”. With a resigned sigh, Link opened the door, completely expected to be yelled at as soon as he set his foot in. Much to his relief though, Mr. Nick seemed to be talking with a customer.

“All right.”, he heard the blacksmith say. “So tell me, how’s that shield suit you, Captain?”. Captain Alfred of the Royal Guard! Now he _really_ was in trouble! Good thing none of the two seemed to notice him.

“Superb work as always. But I’d expect nothing less from a master.”, praised Captain Alfred.

“I do what I can, Captain.”, replied the other modestly. “Also helps that I have a good source of ore. That shield’s tougher than ever now.”.

“I wouldn’t trust my gear with anyone else. No one can bring the best out of a sword quite like you. So, if you excuse me, it’s time that I forge ahead. Busy day.”. Mr. Nick nodded in understanding.

Captain Alfred turned around to leave when he spotted Link standing next to the door. “Oh, who’s this? Well, well! If it isn’t Link.”.

Link nodded as a way of greeting.

 “Slept late again?”. Link’s tendency to sleep in was almost legendary in Hyrule. “You sure you’re cut out to be a blacksmith? It’s not my business to say, but you’d better mend your ways lad. There’s no future in being a layabout.”.

Link scowled deeply. He knew the Captain only meant well, but why did everyone assume that he _wanted_ to be a blacksmith? Sure, he had a talent for it but the main reason he was the smith’s apprentice was simply because no-one else would offer him a job. Sure, one would think that the kind residents of Kakariko Village would be more compassionate towards a no-name orphan that lived in the abandoned house on top of the hill. But… Link was far from the only person who had it rough at the time. Anyway, the Mr. Nick – or rather, his wife, Lily – more or less took him in, and Link came to see Gulley as his younger brother. He owed them a lot.

Still, that did not mean that being a blacksmith was his life-long dream.

With those words, Captain Alfred departed and Link resigned himself to his fate. _In three… Two… One…_

**“LATE AGAIN?!”**.

Link could not help but wince at the volume. _Now_ he was certainly awake.

“Well, come on, get over here. Time to get to work, Link!”. With small and slow steps as if hoping to avoid the unavoidable, he approached his master and witnessed with dread as the man took a deep breath and prepared to unleash a charade.

His wife beat him to it. “ **Oh, my!** ”, she exclaimed distressed. “The Captain left without taking his new sword.”.

“ **What!?** ”, exclaimed the blacksmith in return. “He’s gone off unarmed?”.

That tiny but annoying bit in Link’s head that had made him carry a knife around also made a snide comment about the Captain competence – or lack of thereof – but Link promptly ignored it.

The blacksmith turned to face the blond-haired boy. “Lucky you. Instead of getting an earful, you got an errand, Link.” sigh in relief “Take that sword and hurry after the captain. Hurry, run after him!”.

Link only stared blankly.

“What now? Don’t know where to go? Where else? He’s got to be headed to Hyrule Castle!”.

“…Eh?”.

“You still groggy? I said he’s at the Castle! Do I have to mark it on a map or something? Get a move on!”.

“I _know_ where the Castle is.”, replied Link with an eye roll, perhaps a bit more aggressively than he intended.

The blacksmith was so surprised by his apprentice’s sharp tone that he actually paused; just long enough for Link to grab the wrapped with cloth sword – his wife must have wrapped it while they were arguing – shout an over-the-top-cheery “I’m off!”, get out of the shop and bang the door behind him.

…

“I worry if he’s alright…”, expressed Mrs. Lily.

Mr. Nick shook his head and started muttering under his breath. “Don’t know what’ll kill me first, him or Gulley.”.

As for the old smithy in front of the forge who had gone completely unnoticed during the entire ordeal, he hid a smile under his mustache.

“And I still can’t find that blasted knife!”.

* * *

“Huh?”, came a very much disbelieving and annoyed voice. “You done already? You get off easy or something?”.

Link, who was just about to take that much needed deep breath and release a far more needed heavy sigh, cut said action short and turned to shoot a death glare at Gulley, who completely ignored it.

For an adorable, sever years old, fully cheeked, short boy with blond hair, cute freckles, and wide sparkling blue eyes, Gulley could surely be a jerk.

Without any further ado, Link took the packed sword in his right hand and rushed to the Hyrule Castle. Thankfully, the smithy was almost right next to the palace, so Link did not have to run for long. It was almost disappointing. He crossed the white and green, stone and marble bridge that went over the “protective” trench that surrounded the castle – in reality the trench was part of a larger river that poured from Death Mountain – and saw that the front gate of the castle was locked tight with old but heavy and very strong metal bars covering it. However, much to Link’s relief, there was a guard in front of the gate.

Just like all of Hyrule’s soldiers, this guard was wearing a red uniform which consisted of a tall hat and a coat with golden buttons. In Link’s humble opinion, it looked ridiculous.

“Morning, Link.”, greeted the soldier. Everyone knew everyone around the Castle. “What brings you here so early?”.

“I have a delivery for the captain.”.

“He’s not at the castle. I know he was headed to your master’s shop…”.

“Yeah, I bumped into him there.”.

“Really? Well, I know he was planning on visiting Sanctuary. He probably got hung up there.”.

“The Sanctuary?”, asked Link in surprise. As far as he knew, the Sanctuary was currently the only working temple in Hyrule. “What is he doing there?”.

“No clue, but I hope he comes back soon. We’ve had an outbreak of vandalism. All over the walls – paintings everywhere!”. The soldier looked very annoyed at the situation.

“Weird.”, commented Link.

“Anyway, if you need to find him, I’d say head north of the castle. That’s where the Sanctuary is.”. He pointed to his right – Link’s left. “That way is a shortcut.”.

“Thanks a ton!”, shouted Link, having dashed off already.

“Don’t mention it!”.

As Link was running around the castle walls, he could not help but notice the bizarre situation. The guard really was not joking about the vandalism outbreak. All over the walls, a group of well over a dozen soldiers had grabbed a broom and a bucket of soap-water each and were furiously rubbing the countless paintings on the walls. Delivery temporarily forgotten, Link crept closer to take a better look.

The paintings were creepy.

All of them depicted soldiers, but not the soldiers that he was familiar with. “Warriors” was a more accurate description. All the paintings were almost identical, save the changes in the colour – green, yellow and purple. Every single one of them was armed to the teeth, carrying all sorts of weapons and clad in heavy, metal plated armor which completely obscured any features they may have had. The only visible part of their faces was the eyes; yellow and narrowed, giving the impression that they glowed.

However, what was more disturbing was not the paintings, but the feelings they roused in Link. Those paintings were so realistic – they might as well have been actual people that had walked into the wall. Link could easily picture them in flesh and bone, alive and moving, patrolling the darkest and most secretive parts of the castle, deep underground, _in a rotting dungeon filled with decay, the scent of corpses hanging in the air, the soldiers paying no heed to the desperate cry for help in the dark, a black chain wrapping around his neck, chocking the life out of him – I HAVE TO LIVE –_

Link snapped back to reality. “What was that…?”. He grabbed his forehead in pain, his eyes wide in horror as the image of the black knight in the prison replayed in his mind, and the pain around his neck… _Snap out of it!_

The young boy shook his head forcefully to get rid of the images, painfully aware of the presence of the knife in his boot and the sword in his hand. He cautiously approached one of the soldiers, almost eager to find out more.

“Excuse me?”, he asked the closest soldier, feigning ignorance. “What’s with those paintings?”.

The soldier grumbled in annoyance. “Some damn vandal a paint that doesn’t wash off!”.

Link blinked in surprise. “Doesn’t wash off?”.

“Not a single speck! I’m here rubbing the wall all day and no result!”.

Shaking his head to avoid even more strange thoughts, Link crossed the bridge on the east, heading north following the lone path among the trees. He passed through the tiny lake and soon found himself in the small and plain, but beautiful yard of the Sanctuary. There he saw Seres, the daughter of the Temple’s Priest, talking with Dampé, the local grave keeper, though Link could not make out what they were saying. Ceasing his jog, he fell back to a slow walk as he approached the two adults. Once he was in hearing range, Seres noticed him.

“Oh, look who’s here!”, she exclaimed in pleasant surprise. “Welcome to the Sanctuary, Link.”.

“Good morning, Seres!”.

She laughed good-naturedly at Link’s cheerfulness. “Eager as ever, aren’t you? Is there something I can help you with?”.

“Yes… I’m looking for the Captain…”.

“Well, you’re at the right place. He’s come to see my father.”.

He decided to ignore how bizarre that sounded. “He forgot his sword at my master’s place, and I’ve come to deliver it.”.

“The captain forgot his sword? Oh, how unlike him to be so careless!”, Link nodded in agreement. “Just a moment.”, said Seres, stepping in the building. “I’ll fetch him to you.”.

“Coming and going! Going and coming!”. Link turned his attention to the now shouting grave keeper. “The captain stops by here more than anyone… You think he wants to yak with the priest? No, sir – just makin’ excuses to see Seres there.”.

“Eh?!”, exclaimed Link wide-eyed, putting two and two together. “The captain likes Seres?!”.

Dampé laughed at his reaction. “She hasn’t got a clue either. But I s’pose that’s what’s so lovely about Seres. Carefree as a bird… But ol’ Dampé sees more ‘n people think.”. The rugged man’s presence suddenly turned more serious, all good humor gone. Link stiffened, sensing that something important was coming. “Like those paintings on the castle walls this morning.”.

…!

“There’s trouble brew - ”.

**“AHHH – !”.**

The doors closed with a bang.

Link and Dampé jumped back in shock. “Wh-what’s happening in there?”, stuttered the grave keeper. He ran to the door and started wrestling them open. “Th-th-the doors are shut tight!”, he yelled in desperation. “Can’t get them open!”.

“Hold it!”, yelled Link. He ran to the door and pulled the knife from his boot, focusing on the lock as he tried to pick it.

“Where’d you get that from?!”, asked the grave keeper in shock.

“Later!”. Link wrestled with the mechanism a couple more times until he heard the clicking shout of triumph. A smile came to his face and proceeded to open them but then… “ **What**?! They still won’t open!”.

“Wh-what can we do? That was Seres crying out! Dampé doesn’t have a key! Dampé just digs the grave around - ! Wait. Dampé remembers! Dampé once heard the priest talking about a secret way into the Sanctuary, hidden right in my Graveyard.”.

“I bet that won’t be locked!”.

“Bad luck, Dampé thinks, messing around with graves. Worse luck, going under the ground… I would know.”. He pointed a finger at Link. “But YOU! If you get scared just swing that sword around!”.

“What sword?”. The Captain’s?

“That sword you’ve got there! Dampé heard you say it belongs to the captain, but who cares?.”.

“OK, OK…”. “ _I got the captain’s sword! Well, sort of…”_

“Use that sword if you run into trouble. Dampé would help, but these old bones are falling apart as it is. So go find the secret passage. It’s got to be hidden somewhere in the Graveyard!”.

“I’ll go!”, said Link, and he hurried to the yard. _Wait – the weather vane!_ He quickly woke up the vane bird for good measure, which replied with a whistle, and unwrapped the sword, tying it to the belt of his tunic. It was by no means a safe place to hold it, but Link, for some reason, was confident that he would not get cut.

He ran to the Graveyard, which thankfully was right next to the Sanctuary, and after cutting down a short tree – _sorry, Dampé_ – to gain access, he started pushing the gravestones. Something jumped in front of him. Link’s reaction surprised even himself. With a movement so fast that not even he knew was possible, he grabbed the sword with his left and landed two slashes on the Poe’s lantern, destroying the deceased spirit instantly. He stopped for a second to question his feat. That sword felt strange in his hand… It felt _good_. Link had never used a sword in his life.

Sword still in hand, he ran to the most decorated grave in sight, cut down the trees and pushed it. Instead of soil, he found a staircase.

_Yes!_

Inside, it was pitch dark. _Just great_. Using his sword as some sort of a blind stick, he found a staircase, which he climbed. His sword hit something wooden. _Is that a door?_ No, further search revealed that it was a chest of sword, curious, Link opened it and inside found something made of glass and metal. It’s shape was like… _A lantern?_ And as soon as he thought the word, it lit up. “A magic lantern!”, he exclaimed happily. Most magic items did not require their owner to actually use magic – they just did what they were made to do. And this lantern here would never run out of oil. “I wonder why it was here…”.

Glad to finally be able to see his surroundings, Link searched for the door, only to see that it was at the other side of the room, which was by design flooded. Why would anyone flood the floor on purpose was beyond Link’s understanding, especially considering that the water barely reached his ankles. Still, running around in wet shoes was annoying. And why in the world were there so many pots in here?! Plus, the door looked a little creepy… and it was locked.

_I’d better look for a key or something…_ He spotted two torches on both sides of the door, which he lit up to illuminate the room even further. And the door opened.

“What?!”. How did that door open? And who in their right minds puts a lantern in hidden pathway that had a door that needed a lantern to be opened?

In spite of his thoughts, Link ran to the next room, which was also partially flooded, and significantly larger. He lit up the torch right beside him, and found that this room was infested with Rats. There were rats and then there were Rats. The later were larger than the former animal, purple in colour, somewhat poisonous, lived in wet places and absolute darkness, and attacked anything that moved. Link was quick to find a staircase and the door, and just as quick to see a keyhole. He ran on the metal net that was above ground – good thing it was strong – he looked for a key which he soon found in a chest. “Those chests sure have some useful stuff in them…”. Remembering a chest he had spotted down bellow, he jumped from the net and ran to it, finding inside a Red Rupee. He ran buck up the stairs, unlocked the door and proceeded to the next room.

A room that was full of Poes. Link quickly struck down the small ghost-like spirits and lit the two torches, opening the gate.

The next room had bare save for a few pots, and had a staircase which led to – by this point expected – closed gate. There were two pumps on each side of the staircase. “Looks like I’ll have to pull them…”. He ran to the one on the right and pulled it, resulting to a few monsters falling through the ceiling. Link was quick to dispatch them. “So one of them is a trap and the other is the key forward… Looks kinda risky as a security measure.”.

The blond-haired boy climbed the stairs, and found himself at the Sanctuary. _“Finally!”_. Under normal conditions, he would have stopped to admire it, but these were no normal conditions. For in the middle of the Sanctuary, stood a stranger.

Forget about Dampé, who looked like a zombie himself – this was the strangest man? that Link had ever seen. He was tall and slim, wearing long black robes with the Hyrulean Royal Family crest on it – except that the symbol of the Golden Power was upside down. He also had teal coloured pants and a purple cape. He was deathly pale, wore red make-up and his long red hair were done in multiple little braids. However the most disturbing bit of his appearance was the thing he was holding. A golden rod-torch, as tall as he was, ablaze with a multicoloured fire, undoubtedly magical. Link found his eyes drawn on him, in a horrid yet fascinating way.

The priest was shouting. “What do you want with Seres? I swear, if you hurt my daughter…! And what sort of fiend dares to defile the Sanctuary in this manner?”.

“A fiend?”. Link shuddered at the man’s voice. A pitched tenor, filled with absolutely nothing but scorn and mockery, along with irritation and the not so subtle amusement. “How easily you stoop to petty insults. My name is Yuga. And I have come here seeking nothing less than… perfection.”.

_Perfection?_

The man – Yuga – turned to Seres. “And you, my dear, are perfection.”. She let a terrified yelp. “Such pale and flawless skin, those soft cheeks and nose have just the right dose of innocence. And that wonderful teal shade of your eyes and hair…! Usually the combination of that shade and sky blue is not all that pleasant to the eye, but it suits you _just right_.”. He evaluated as if she was a work of art. Frightened tears were at the verge of her eyes. “How can you stand being so lovely, surrounded by these filthy fools?”. He let out a low chuckle. “I will put you on a pedestal. Or rather, a wall – perfect forever.”. Seres was openly sobbing by now.

Then the impossible happened.

A teal coloured painting frame with blank canvas formed behind Seres, and once formed, without a hint of hesitation, Yuga blasted Seres with a fire ball from his rod. Seres was thrown right on the frame, were limbs outstretched as if she was tied on a wall. Both she and the frame started glowing. But that was not what horrified Link.

It was her screams. Scream that spoke of inhumane, incomprehensible, excruciating pain.

The light became so blind that for a moment, it swallowed all things in sight. Then it was gone. And so was Seres.

In her place was the blank frame, only that it was blank no more. A portrait of Seres had taken its place on the empty canvas – one that looked disturbingly realistic. _“I don’t – what happened?”._

The portrait fell on the red carpet with a thump, and Yuga tenderly picked it up, extending his hands to observe it. “Ah!”, he exclaimed in awe and admiration. “As I suspected, you’re even lovelier as a painting. I think that Her Grace will be most pleased. His job done, he turned around to leave.

And that was when his gaze fell on Link. “Oh? What do we have here? Another worm comes wriggling in?”.

Shocked at the statement, the priest turned around as well. “H-how did you get in the Sanctuary, Link? Run, child!”. The boy did not heed his words. His eyes and sword were trained on Yuga. “Wh-why do you just stand there? RUN! Not even the captain stood a chance against him!”. He already knew that. He also knew that he should be terrified. A small part of him was. The rest of him though merely stored the information in his brain for later analysis.

“I believe this worm here wishes to tangle with me.”, supplied the sorcerer helpfully. “Come on then.”, he taunted. “Wriggle, wriggle, little worm.”.

Regardless of the out of the blue skill that Link had displayed with the blade, he was still young and inexperienced. Just the type of person to fall for a taunt.

With a cry of anger, Link dashed to Yuga fully intending to slice him up, only to run into the wall. After a few dizzy steps backwards he fell on the floor, his head pounding with pain. _“That’ll be one big bump…”._

“N-no, Link!”.

“You think you can challenge ME?”, laughed Yuga from inside the wall, seeing that he had turned into a painting himself. “Why, I am the portrait of perfection! While all of you…? Merely scribbles and squiggles. The very sight of you offends my eyes!”, he shouted outraged. “Still,”, he continued, his anger subdued, “I’ll be leaving this ugly world soon enough.”.

He stepped out of the wall and shoot at Link a disgusted look. “Gah!”, he exclaimed and kicked Link at his sides, causing a pained moan from the boy. “Get out of my way.”. The sorcerer rushed to the door, not even bothering to look at the fallen priest as he passed him, humming an eerie tune all the while. “Not even that captain of yours could stand against my might.”, he continued. “For all his spit and polish, he made for but a crude doodle on the wall. A waste of my magic. Farewell, fools. I’m off to acquire what little perfection I can find in this gaudy world of yours.”.

“N-n-no!”, begged the priest. “Don’t take my Seres…”. The priest’s next words were the last thing that Link heard. “We must… warn… Princess Zelda…”.

Next thing he knew…? Nothing.


	2. Repetition is the mother of all learning.

His senses slowly returned to him, bringing first and foremost an incredible sense of fatigue. However the world had apparently foreseen to that, as he was laying on something comfortable and more or less soft. A bed, most definitely. Once he became aware of the fact that he was awake, he slowly opened his eyes, trying to remember how exactly he had ended up here, as well as where “here” was.

A crude, wooden table was at the other side of the room, with a plate, a spoon and a couple of books just thrown over. Two large chunks of a tree trunk instead of chairs. A couple of paintings just barely in sight, and a multicolored heart with a lot of yellow thorns hanging on the wall. It was his house. But how had he ended up in here…?

Link slowly moved his head and saw a bunny. A huge bunny head. Purple. With huge eyes. Staring right at him.

**“WOAH!”.**

He fell off his bed. _There’s a reason why I don’t like being woken up…_

“Ooooh, you’re waking up.”, said an unknown – but surely young and male voice. And something was chirping…? “Good. I was starting to worry about you, buddy. The name’s Ravio. Hey, you listening to me? What, the rug tastes really good or something? I’m a traveling merchant. I found you in the Sanctuary. Passed out. Alone. Strange, if you ask me.”.

_Man, whoever he is, he sure likes to talk…_ Link finally got up from his carpet – it was not a rug, thank-you-very-much – and was greeted with a serious threat to Yuga’s “weirdest looks ever” position.

It was a guy his age – thirteen – and his height, dressed in violet robes that reached the floor tied with a red sash and a belt with a green jewel. The huge bunny hood he had seen earlier completely concealed his features. The “outfit” was completed by a blue and black striped scarf. Totally unreasonable for mid spring. And as if _that_ was not weird enough, in front of the boy – what was his name again? Ravio? – flew a teal, white, red, bird… mouse… head… thing.

“It looked like you needed a pal,”, continued the boy “so I took the liberty of lugging you here to this vacant house. Seemed like the perfect place for you to shake off the snores.”.

“Woah, thanks…”, said Link, shaking his bewilderment “Bit you know, this is _my_ house…”.

“Say what? This is _your_ house?”, exclaimed the boy, suddenly looking very awkward. “Looked empty-ish to me.”. Link briefly wondered what exactly would make someone deem a books-spoons-plates-paintings mess of a house as “empty”. And what kind of person just invites himself to strangers’ homes? “How long was I out?”.

“Dunno. It’s afternoon now, though. At least, that’s what I think…”.

“Afternoon?!”, cried out Link in shock.

The bunny guy was obviously ignoring the strange look that Link was sending his way.  “Wait, so tell me… What happened to you, buddy?”.

Link briefly debated whether it was a good idea or not to tell his story to a random stranger, especially one as “out there” as Ravio. Then again, he did owe him one after he lugged him back home.

“Well, I was looking for someone in the Sanctuary, and suddenly a strange man came out of the blue and turned a girl there into a painting!”. Now that he thought about it, what had happened to Dampé and the priest? Ravio said that he was alone when he found him…

“You don’t say?”, cut the merchant his train of thought. “Some strange man turned a girl into a painting? So you got done in trying to stop him, huh?”. Link nodded in confirmation. “That makes you a hero, buddy! A real, live, genuine hero!”.

“Eh?! Me, a hero?! You got to be-”.

“But why are you standing around talking to me then? You’ve gotta report this to the castle!”.

_…joking_. “You’re right! I must go! Where’s my sword?”.

“Here.”.

Link unwrapped the cloth from the scabbard and used it to put together a makeshift belt for it. Satisfied with the result, he tied it on his back – far more comfortable that holding it – and after making sure that his knife was also in place, he ran to the door.

“Oh! Hey! Wait a minute.”.

Link turned to Ravio. “What is it?”.

Ravio now looked really embarrassed. For a guy whose face was completely concealed, he was very easy to read. “To tell you the truth, I was looking for a place to stay.”. _Huh_? “It’s been hard to find somewhere good. So, uh. This is awkward…”. Link could see where this was going. “Mind if I stay here for a while? Just a couple of days, I promise!”.

Link didn’t really mind anything right now. “Of course.”.

“Really?!”, Ravio and his pet started a mini dance. “Thanks a million! Finally, no more sleeping in the wild. Tough world out there, you know?”. _Yeah, I found out a while ago_. The purple boy pulled something out of a pocket somewhere on his person. “Here – take this. I can’t pay rent yet. But it’s something, at least.”.

Link came closer to boy to take a look. His eyebrow almost lifted to his hairline. It was an old, leather bracelet. Whoever had made it, apparently had made the effort to mold the leather in such a way that it had a basic pattern on it, and there seemed to be a small hole for a jewel to be put there, though there was none.  It must have fallen off or been removed at some point.

“I know it looks like a hunk of junk, but it’s older than old. A real treasure, that thing-!”. Link brought it closer to his face to examine it. He made a face. “Uh, what?”, asked Ravio, seeing his expression.

“Uh… You know… It has an odor…”.

“What odor? You don’t want it because it SMELLS funny? That’s the smell of history, buddy! Musty leather! Moldy aromas! The rich fragrance of a relic!”. Link could only gawk at him incredulously. “OK, fine. I’ll admit that it smells like a wet dog. But you gotta know, that’s a GOOD smell. Besides… it’s a gift. So the least you could do is wear it, buddy!”.

“Guess you’re right.”, admitted Link with a bashful smile. He put it on his left arm. It was surprisingly comfortable.

“Now, pronto, buddy.”, urged him Ravio. “To the castle! **Hurry!** ”.

“I’m going!”.

“Bye now! See ya, Mr. Hero!”. _That nickname’s going to stick, isn’t it?_

He ran out of his house, Ravio gazing behind him. Once the blond-haired boy was a good distance away, he turned to his pet. “He sure is something, isn’t he? I hope he’ll be up to the task.”. His gaze turned almost sorrowful. “He _has_ to.”. He shook his head, and presented a cheerful demeanor. “Well, pal! We got some exploring to do! Let’s go open some new markets!”.

* * *

Link once again headed for Hyrule Castle for the second time in a day, glad that his house was so ridiculously close to it. He ran through the front gate – how come it was open now? – and strolled into the courtyard, idly noticing that most soldiers had abandoned any hopes to scrub the paintings of the walls and decided to go through some training drills instead. He could not help but cringe a little when he saw how shaky their stance was. One guy around the corner was doing his best to show off, twirling and shouting over-dramatically.

Instead of stopping to chit chat, Link headed straight for the front doors. “Whoa, hold your horses there! Not just anyone gets into the palace.”. Link turned around, seeing for the first time that there was a guard for these gates as well.

“Please, it’s an emergency!”, protested Link. “Both the captain and Seres were turned into paintings! Princess Zelda needs to know right away!”.

The soldier gawked at him. “The captain was turned into a WHAT now? A _painting_? And Seres was too? And Princess Zelda needs to know right away, huh?”.

“Why are you repeating me? I just told you, I must see her!”.

“WAA-HA-HA! Look, I get you want to see the princess, but that’s a real WHOPPER of a story there!”.

“ **HUH?!** It’s not a joke, I’m serious!”.

“Yeah, sure you are!”.

“Oh, for the love of-!”.

“My word!”, sounded a woman out of nowhere. “What in Hyrule is all the shouting about, guard?”.

An old woman had stepped out of the castle. She was rather bent with age, but she must have been very tall in her youth. She was wearing a red dress with the symbol of the Golden Power on it, and a blue veil. She had tanned skin, hooked nose and indigo hair. However a feature of hers that truly stood out were her eyes. They were red, and stern. _A Sheikha!_ , Link realized with shock. He thought they were only a legend!

“I’m sorry, Lady Impa!”, apologized the guard with a salute. “But this lad here has a message for Princess Zelda, and it’s as far as farfetched gets!”. Linked cringed at that – or he would, if the old Lady did not look so intimidating.

“Is that so?”, she asked, not looking the slightly bit interested. “What is this message?”.

And that was how Link repeated his story for the third time within fifteen minutes.

Once he was done, as expected, Lady Impa was staring at him in disbelief; he gave her credit for trying to hide it, though. “Indeed? But that’s-! Well, frankly it’s beyond belief.”.  So much for hiding it. “Then again,”, she continued thoughtfully “strange paintings are popping up all over the castle. There may be something to this. Hmm, yes. I wonder…”. Link held his breath. “Quickly come with me. You’ve got to tell Princess Zelda what you saw at the Sanctuary.”. _YES!_

“You’re taking this boy at his word, Lady Impa?”, asked the soldier astonished. The Sheikha woman ignored him and entered the castle. The soldier sighed in defeat. “Hmm. That’s that. Head on in.”.

Link thanked the guard for his collaboration and followed after the old woman.

* * *

The inside of the castle was majestic. There was no other word for it.

The floor was made of green marble and was mostly covered with a rich, red carpet that looked more expensive than anything he had ever dreamed of – much less stepped on. Link was almost afraid of eternally staining the carpet with his boots. The walls were made of nice, yellow bricks had had decorative pillars on them. The ceiling was higher than that of the Sanctuary, or even the two-floors hidden path that led to it, and the whole space was well-lit with multiple torches, even though it was only barely after lunch time. There were grand marble staircases that led to a higher level, and ahead of him seemed to be a gallery of sorts. There were guards everywhere, he could noticed, much more serious looking than those outside.

Lady Impa stopped once she approached the huge paintings, and turned to Link who was jogging behind her. How could a woman her age be so _fast_? “Wait here while I announce you to the princess. Feel free to take a close look at our gallery here. Don’t touch anything.”. Without throwing any further glances at Link, she headed to Princess Zelda. Link decided to follow her advice and kill his imminent boredom with a bit of art-viewing.

There was a square on the carpet under each painting, each on resembling the sides of a dice from numbers one to five. _So I’m supposed to see them in order, huh?_

Link went to number one and observed the painting carefully. It depicted the castle with the Golden Power floating in the ominous sky, monsters, soldiers and people fighting under it among the flames. The soldiers reminded Link of the paintings he had seen earlier that day, for some reason. There was a text underneath the painting.

_“Picture I: The Golden Triforce._

_This gift from the gods, Hyrule’s greatest treasure, will grant the wish of any mortal who touches it. The Triforce once stocked greed in the hearts of men. A legendary war was fought to keep it out of evil hands.”._

Finished with the first painting, Link moved on to the next one. That painting depicted a forest clearing, and seven figures standing around a circle of golden light that flew to the heavens.

_“Painting II: The Sealed Triforce._

_To end the war for the Triforce, the royal family decided to hide it in the Sacred Realm. They summoned the Seven Sages of Legend, who used their power to seal the Triforce away.”._

The third painting showed a strange, pig-like creature looming over the flaming Hyrule Castle, with a blond-haired woman behind it holding her hands together in prayer. The creature in the painting stirred something in Link’s chest, those glowing and narrowed eyes seemed to gaze straight into his soul, searching for something deep within to crush it, and that something revealed itself willingly, rising in defiance. Link suddenly did not feel all that well, but that could not be right – he was not ill.

_“Painting III: The Demon King._

_The Demon King Ganon was once just a thief – until the man broke into the Sacred Realm. There he stole the Triforce and transformed himself. Then he took his evil campaign back to Hyrule.”._

Why did it feel like there were too many gaps in the story?

The fourth painting showed the Demon King Ganon and a swordsman dressed in green with a shield that bore the Royal Family crest locked in battle. But that was not the reason why Link was staring at the painting in shock.

“What in the world… He looks… just like me.”. Everything about their appearance was identical – same haircut with the long bangs in front of their face swept to the right, long sideburns and shorter at the back, same sparkling blue eyes, same skin tone, similar height – heck, even the same green tunic and matching pointed hat with the orange undershirt, white leggings and brown boots underneath! He even held his sword in the same hand! The only difference that Link could pick out between himself and the teenager at the painting was the hair colour – Link’s hair were strawberry blond, while the boy’s in the painting was orange with a slight tone of pink? – poor guy – and his face still held a bit of baby fat while Link’s  was unusually thin for a boy his age with overly high cheekbones.

Link could almost literally see himself there, lightning thundering in the golden sky, as the blue beast – for it was no longer a man – cradled his trident _of ruin tightly, a sneer on his face showing how contemptuous he was to the lone, tired boy in front of him, the sword burning in his hand in righteous fury, he had come so far and done so much, this was the END–_

_“Painting IV: The Hero Awakens._

_A hero of legend arose from humble beginnings, awaken to his purpose by a princess of Hyrule. With the Master Sword, the blade of evil’s bane, he sought the descendants of the Seven Sages. Together they defeated the Demon King Ganon – and sealed him away in darkness.”._

Link shook his head to clear his mind. This was not the time for getting himself drowned in images of the long since forgotten past. He moved on to the final painting.

This one once again depicted the boy – the hero – and the blonde woman that by now Link was certain was the princess of his time. Along with them stood seven more figures, most probably the descendants of the Seven Sages. The hero had his blade lifted skyward, pointing to the Triforce. Everything about that image was bright and happy and glorious; a time for celebration and triumph.

_“Painting V: The Triforce, Split Apart._

_The Triforce was split into three pieces, separated forever. One piece remains with the royal family. Another piece has fallen into the hands of Ganon, sealed away with him. The third piece of the Triforce has vanished, though legend says it is hidden in the spirit of a true hero.”._

Finally done with the paintings, Link just stood there, deep in thought. What he had found out from those paintings was a lot more than what he knew of the legend. The fact that the Golden Power was in fact named Triforce, and that it was split in three parts. And one of them is _still_ with the Royal Family? If anyone found out about that, it would be like the ancient war all over again! And they put it on display? What were they thinking?

And most of all, why did the ancient hero look _just like him_? In all honesty, it was freaky. Very freaky. It was as if Link was seeing himself being involved in those legends, creating them. It made that strange feeling in his chest stir, the tiny and increasingly stronger voice in his head that was telling him to arm himself, that was warning him and pointing out stuff that were not there and completely altered his general behaviour.

“Princess Zelda is ready to see you now. Right this way, please.”. Link turned to Impa, who had appeared on top of the staircase, and nodded, quickly running up the stairs. He followed Impa to an unknown room that somehow held an air of significance, and his step slowed.

Turned with her back to him and facing the throne, stood a girl with long gold hair and a long pale pink cape. She turned around to face him, a melodious chuckle escaping her lips.

Her eyes surrounded by long dark eyelashes were like pale blue jewels that sparkled with joy and mirth. Her hair was a golden waterfall that reflected and even obscured the sunlight. Her thin rosy lips were curled in a beautiful smile that made her porcelain face glow. A golden tiara with a bright red ruby adorned her forehead among those golden locks, and golden, Triforce-shaped earrings hang from her long Hylian ears. Her hand adorned with a golden bracelet was put in her hand shyly, and her long silk dress was in shades of pink and white, with a pit of blue at the edges, and the golden Royal Family crest stitched on it. She had golden shoulder pads, as if a part of armor, but everything in her presence radiated beauty, peace, innocence, love and happiness.

Link was awed.

“I bid you fondest welcome to Hyrule Castle, stranger.”, she greeted him, her soft melodious voice genuine even in the eloquence of her speech.

“My Princess.”, replied a blushing Link, completely lost in her beauty – so lost in fact, that he did not even notice the glare that Impa sent his way.

Princess Zelda did not seem to mind in the slightest. “I hear you have something to - ? Wait… It’s you…!”.

“Eh?”. Did she recognize him from somewhere? He had never seen her in his life!

Princess Zelda seemed to realize that as well. “Forgive me, but may I ask your name?”.

“It’s Link, your Highness.”.

“Ah, while your name is unfamiliar to me, Link…”. She took a deep breath, as if dreading what was going to follow. “I’ve seen your face in my dreams of late. For I’ve dreamt of a hero locked in battle with a terrible evil.”.

“In a void blazing with fire, the Golden Power scattered…”, whispered Link, remembering his dream that morning, and the terrible feeling of losing his sense of self.

“What, you’ve had the same dream, Link?”.

The blond-haired boy looked up in surprise. He had not realized that he was thinking out loud. “Yes.”.

“Surely fate has sent you here!”, the Princess exclaimed, a strange mix of anticipation and fear in her eyes. “Please then, tell me what you saw at the Sanctuary.”.

Link once again quoted his story, this time all feelings of irritation gone as he went straight to his point. By the time he was done, grief had overtaken the beautiful eyes of the princess of Hyrule.

“I sense a terrible darkness behind these events…”. Link hated seeing her so sad. “Oh, Impa.”, she turned to the old woman, who has up to this point watching their exchange astonished. “I fear that evil is awakening once more in our fair land…”.

“Fret not, Princess.”, replied the old woman calmly. “I’d advise that we consult Sahasrahla for help. The elder’s knowledge of the past… Well, it’s more than vast.”. So that was how Princess Zelda was running the affairs in her country so smoothly even though she was only thirteen. Apart from her wisdom and benevolence, she had also good consultants.

“Yes, of course.”, she agreed readily. “That’s just where to start. So, Link…”. His ears perked up once addressed. “Would you please find Sahasrahla? The elder should be at home in Kakariko Village. I am certain he will be able to help.”. Somehow, Link doubted the princess’ certainty on the elder’s whereabouts, but he did not voice his concern. “Now”, she continued, turning to Impa. “there’s just one more thing. I would like to send you off with my most treasured possession. It’s a rather special charm.”.

_Her most treasured possession?!_

“Are you sure about this, Princess?”, interfered Impa. “The royal family has kept that safe for untold generations!”. Now Link had grown even more nervous.

“Quite sure, Lady Impa.”. That seemed to quench any arguments. She turned to Link. “This has been in my safekeeping since the day I was born. Now I will entrust it to you. Please take good care of this charm. You will have need for it soon, Link.”.

Princess Zelda reached for a chord under her dress and came close to Link, causing him to blush furiously. She handed him over the item she had pulled; it was a necklace. _“This is the second piece of jewelry I get today.”._

It was a large emerald decorated with gold which was molded in a swirling pattern around the precious stone, resembling leaves that protected a blossom. It was the most beautiful and precious item he had seen in his life – a priceless heirloom of the Hyrulean Royal Family, entrusted to him by the sole and benevolent ruler of his country, Princess Zelda herself. Link was honored.

“I will protect it at any cost, your Highness.”, he stated seriously, knowing for a fact that his promise was true.

The princess acknowledged his statement with a nod. “Please, tell Sahasrahla everything that you saw.”. He nodded.

That was his queue to leave.

* * *

Link had always been troubled by how tight-knit the population of Hyrule was. A country was supposed to have cities and multiple villages, not a small right-next-to-the-castle village with a few residents, and some other random establishments scattered in the forest or by the river. It was rumored that some folks opted to live in case or tree trunks. No, a kingdom was definitely not supposed to be like this.

Yet that was how things were in Hyrule. And as if that were not enough, in addition to the small population and the isolation from surrounding countries due to natural objects, there were also the very serious problems of monster infestation and high crime rate – the latter dwindling, thankfully. The financial problem was also prominent; there had honestly not been a single new building built in over four centuries. Every single establishment in the country was merely repeatedly renovated and repaired with patience and care, making everything look relatively new while the truth could not be further from that. Link’s place was not an exception.

It was an extremely worrisome situation, especially considering that the land was full of indications that spoke of a much, _much_ larger population in ancient times.

Nonetheless, Link was not going to complain for small distances and tight-knit denizens when he had errands to do.

Kakariko Village was said to be older than even the legend of the ancient hero and the Seven Sages. It was a pretty nice place to live, with friendly folks of all ages. Link was a little sad not to live in the village as well, but his house was his house. It was special. Besides, he already knew everybody there.

Elder Sahastahla’s house was at the northeast edge of town, undoubtedly the largest house of them all. Link debated on whether he should knock the door or not; most people did not bother doing so and entered each other’s houses as they pleased. If someone did not want any visitors, they just locked the door. However, Link and the elder were not in _that_ friendly terms due to the obvious age and social gap, which prompted Link to be very respectful with the old man. Still, the later insisted Link not to be so formal with him.

Link decided to follow the elder’s encouragement – as well as the social norm – and enter uninvited. He was nearly swept off his feet as he did so, the boy gazing around himself in astonishment.

Sahasrahla’s house was a MESS. Old books and manuscripts were scattered all over the floor – as if the plants placed at random spots next to the wall did not create enough of a mess. On top of that, there were some storage boxes stacked in a corner that served no purpose whatsoever and the room was dimly lit with candles that filled the small place with heat and smoke, and gave the impression of the time being late evening. The interior of the room was completed by the large oak bookcase that was twice Link’s height, the paintings hanging from the wall, and the form of Sahasrahla standing in the middle of the room, cane on his hand and sleeping. Yes, sleeping. While standing.

_How in Farore’s name is that even possible?!_

In mid-snore the Elder mumbled something about the Master Sword and Princess Zelda. _Yup, I’m definitely in the right place._ , thought the boy slightly appalled. He closed the door behind him with a “bang!”.

“Agh!”. As hoped, the elder was woken up by the noise. “Oh dear. Dozed off again…”. He started walking up and down in the small room to shake off the last of his sleepiness, and Link used this opportunity to approach him. It was after a while – a few moments, really – that the elder finally noticed him.

“It’s you, Link!”, exclaimed Sahasrahla in surprise. “But the look on your face! So grim, child. What’s the matter?”. And hence Link repeated his story for the fifth time within an hour.

Once he was done, the elder’s face was morphed into a mask off terror. “Seres was turned into a what? A painting? And then she was stolen away… And Princess Zelda sent you here to tell me…”. _…Why is repeating what I said?_ “Ah, I see. This can only mean one thing.”.

“What does it mean?”, asked Link eagerly.

The elder gazed upon the young boy sternly. Link felt a little intimidated. “I’m sure you heard about the legend of old. About the Seven Sages? And the hero who saved Hyrule?”.

“Of course.”, replied Link. He had been reading about just half an hour ago.

“Seres is a descendant of the original Seven Sages who sealed Ganon in darkness all those years ago – the Sage of Time, in particular.”, explained Sahasrahla, much to Link’s shock. “This Yuga you speak of, he must be after the Seven Sages of our day. Surely he intends to free Ganon.”.

Silence pervaded as the new information slowly sank in. The revival of Ganon, the Evil King. If that were to happen then _it’ll be like Agnahim all over again, the gates to the Dark World will reopen, everybody will lose their forms and THEMSELVES NO ONE can die again we only have the right for ONE WISH_

**“OH NO!”**. The Elder’s distressed cry snapped Link out of his bizarre trance. “When I heard rumors of a strange man lurking near the eastern palace, I sent my pupil Osfala to investigate. I’ve put him in danger, for he’s also a descendant of the Seven Sages. I’m sure Yuga will be waiting for him! I’ll never make it in time to warn him! But you, Link…”.

“When did he leave?”. It was not a question – it was a demand. If he were too late again…

“What time is it now?”.

“Around four.”.

“Good. Could you hurry to Osfala and tell him everything? Please!”.

“I will. The palace is at the ruins east of my house, right?”.

“Yes. It’s the largest building, at the northeast. But be careful, Link. Those ruins have been abandoned for many years; who knows what monsters and rumble are there to block the path.”.

“Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.”.

The elder nodded. “There’s no time to lose. Go now, quickly!”.

* * *

Minutes later Link was jogging along the shortest route to the palace known to him – south the forest meadow, through his master’s house and crossing the south river bridge; that route led straight to the only entrance to the Eastern Palace. Currently he was half way there, passing in front of the Blacksmith’s house.

“Oh, Link!”.

“Mrs. Lily!”. Sure enough, the blacksmith’s wife was standing in her front yard, a look full of worry on her face. Link wondered what bothered her.

“Have you seen my little Gulley?”.

Gulley? “Not since this morning.”.

“Oh. Well, I’m sure he’s just playing somewhere nearby. But people have been talking about… monsters.”. Link nodded, remembering the numerous chuchus he had ran into on his way to Kakariko. For a literal blob of green jelly, they were awfully resilient. “If you happen to find him, tell him to come home quickly, all right?”. He nodded. “Oh, and by the way, have you delivered the sword to the Captain yet?”.

The question sounded so ironic to his ears that he chuckled, completely confusing Mrs. Lily. “No.”.

“Huh? Why not? You couldn’t find him? Wait – that IS the Captain’s sword! Why are you wearing it?!”.

“Long story, can’t tell you now. I’m heading to the Eastern Palace!”.

“Eastern Palace?! What are you doing _there_? Wait, Link! What’s going on!”.

But Link was already gone, leaving one very confused and scared Mrs. Lily behind.

“Goddesses… Gulley and Link… Please keep my little boys safe…”.


	3. Eastern Palace

The Eastern Palace was a large tower that reigned over an ancient complex of buildings at the east Hyrule wasteland. The exact date and purpose of the complex had been lost over time, along with the location’s true name. The archeological site also included a small temple presumably devoted to Nayru or a forgotten minor deity, as well as several statues, and a complex maze that reminded an overgrown palace garden – hence the name “Eastern Palace”. The entire complex was build on a large hill which had been dug entirely to the point that only the basic outline of the actual hill remained. What sort of method was used to get rid of all those tons of soil was still a great mystery. The outline of the hill as well as the ruins of the fortress that was built on it still provided a most excellent defense, and the wasteland provided a great habitat for Octoroks – a type of monster that spontaneously shallows rocks and then spits them as a means of both attack and defense. The Eastern Palace was said to be almost impenetrable.

Almost. Quite frankly, Link did not find it hard to reach the entrance at all.

Now a question: how in the world was he supposed to get in?!

After Link had crossed the arcades at the entrance and avoided a few Octoroks, he found himself face to face with a baffling sight – a lone staircase in the middle of the yard that was standing between two columns that each had a dark blue crystal orb on top. Behind those were another two columns with the carving of a bow on them – which most definitely did _not_ fit with the art style that he had seen in the ruins so far, that depicted stone heads of prey birds and stern statues of armored warriors – and ahead of him was a closed gate that was absolutely impossible to lift. And he was not even _at_ the Eastern Palace yet.

Now he understood why this place was said to be like a fortress. All buildings were built on different heights, forcing any aspiring adventurers to constantly climb stairs in order to move in the area. However, time had demolished most of these stairs and it made the probability of falling into a pit with no way up very high. All you could do after that was sit under the sun or inside a building, and wait for your death.

If you make a wrong step, there is no way out. And apparently, the only way forward was also blocked.

There was something else other than stone columns in the place – and boy, did it stick out like a sore thumb. Two identical signs in the shape of a bunny head painted purple. Link had a pretty good idea who had put _these_ here.

_“Hey! Are you the adventuring type? Then have I got the ITEMS for you! Visit me south of the castle! –Ravio.”._

_“Have I got”?_ , thought Link incredulously. _Does this guy have NO IDEA of the proper use of grammar?_ More importantly, when did Ravio put that thing here? Why did he put it in Eastern Palace of all places? And he had items for adventurers? Honestly, the whole thing sounded way too weird and convenient to be a coincidence. Regardless, the strange merchant in bunny hood was his best bet right now to get through the gate.

Link was starting to become really grateful for the location of his house.

* * *

“Welcome home, Mr. Hero!”, greeted him Ravio twenty minutes later. That nickname really _did_ stick. “You said it was all right to stay here, so I’ve made myself at-!”.

“Ravio.”.

“What happened?! You look ready to kill someone! Well, not really, but…”.

Link frowned at him. “So… Having items for adventurers?”.

“What’s that?”. _Seriously?_ “Oh, yeah! Saw my signs at the Eastern Palace, did you? I was going to open a store near the palace, but when I saw all the monsters, I hightailed it out of there!”. He rubbed his head awkwardly, his voice full of shame for his actions. “Way too many monsters around there for my liking, you get me?”. Link did not really notice the boy’s oddly downcast tone. “But,”, he continued, the strange moment past “I seem to recall some stone pedestals near my signs. Did you see a symbol on them?”, he said in a slightly sly tone, as if asking Link about a common secret.

“…Yes…”.

“Oh, you did? Well, do you remember what the symbol was?”.

“It was a bow with an arrow. But what does that have to do with anything?”.

“Remind you of anything? Like maybe…”, now he was ravaging through his huge sack with a rupee on it? _That thing’s a wallet?!_ “THIS?”.

_That’s…_ “A bow?!”.

“That’s right, Mr. Hero! A real, honest to goodness bow with my personal signature on! My job is to rent weapons to adventurers!”.

Link admired the weapon in his hands. It was finely crafted, made of light colored and flexible wood, with the string tight on it. On one of the bow’s ends Ravio had added a tiny bunny hood that marked the bow as his merchandise, but placed in such a way that not only it would not bother the user, but it would also secure the bowstring and prevent it from snapping.

“Normally, I’d charge you a rental fee, but I’ll lend it to you for free. This time, anyway. But I’ll be taking that back if anything happens to you out there.”. _Huh?_ “Well, off you go!”.

“But- what about the arrows?”. He could not use a bow without arrows.

“Oh yeah, right. You wouldn’t know…”. Somehow the comment did not seem to address Link specifically. “That’s the catch about my bow, Mr. Hero. It doesn’t need ammunition. It creates its own arrows.”.

_It creates its own arrows?_ “This bow is magical?”.

“Yes. I’ll show you how to use it, ‘cause it’s kinda tricky, you know? Come on outside.”. Link followed him, now admittedly burning with curiosity.

Ravio took a severe posture and his tone changed. From a happy-go-lucky merchant, he suddenly turned into a person that _demanded_ attention. It was amazing how the atmosphere around him could change; suddenly the bunny hood did not look so ridiculous. “The thing about magic – or energy in general – is that it can’t pop out of nowhere. You can’t _create_ energy. And magic is a form of energy. The reason why most magic items around here can be used even by non-magic user without any cost or consequences, is because the magic has either been stored in them beforehand, or they are drawing magic or another form of energy from the surrounding environment. Do you follow me so far?”.

“Yes.”.

“Good. Now you see, many other items draw magical power directly from the user, thus making impossible for anyone who’s not a sorcerer of something similar to use them. Those items, whether they look like your old good weapon, like my bow here, or are something else entirely, like a… cape, for one, they draw energy no matter what you do. However, my items do not draw magical energy in the traditional sense.”.

Now Link was _really_ intrigued. What Ravio was about to say – what he was already saying – was very important. The strange merchant was explaining the nature of magic – a subject that countless sages and scholars had studied, researched, and never once found an answer to. If any answer was ever found, it was kept from public eyes in fear of someone abusing it. And yet here was Ravio: a boy his age that knew some of the best hidden secrets out there.

“My items do not use _magical_ energy – they use the energy from your body.”.

Link stared confused. “What do you mean?”.

Ravio sighted. “Why do you think our bodies need food, water and air? Once we eat something, our bodies turn food, water and stuff into energy. We do that all the time! _That’s_ what my items use. And the best bit is that since your body turns food into energy all the time, you don’t need any magic potions to fill it back up – you don’t even have to wait! Well, not for long, at least. Pretty cool, huh?”.

Honestly, Link was awed. He could not even imagine all the stuff Ravio had explained to him – he had barely ever wondered about it. And now that he had an answer, he was stunned. An explanation on what exactly the body does with food and what that has to do with magic! It was crazy.

In spite of how exciting all that sounded though, Link immediately noticed the catch, and he did not like it. “Ravio…”, he said slowly. “I have not eaten since last night.”.

Ravio was silent for a second, staring shocked. “You’re serious.”. A nod. “That’s almost eighteen hours! Just because you’re all heroic and stuff, it doesn’t mean you have to starve! Come quickly, I saw you have some left-over stew in the pot.”.

Minutes later Link had drank a fill from his stew – “Wow, Mr. Hero! You sure have an appetite!” – and stuffed a few loafs of bread in his bag. He also put his lantern in there – he had it tied on his belt all this time – and slung his rented bow over his shoulder.

“If I draw the string an arrow will appear, right?”.

“Yep! But if you focus on the bow, an arrow will appear anyway, even if you don’t draw the string.”.

Link was truly grateful. “Thanks for all the help, Ravio! I really owe you!”.

“Well, you’ll have to pay for the rented items next time, Mr. Hero! Good luck!”.

* * *

A flash of purple light and the clang of an arrow resounded in the air as the crystal orbs on top of the twin columns glowed in a light blue light. In response, the gate that was blocking the path now opened. Link bolted from the pedestal and ran through the ruins and the staircases, avoiding the attacks of two Armos in the process – enchanted soldier statues that trailed behind anyone that got too close to them to smash them with their weapons. Now to find Osfala… All the business with Ravio had taken more time than he would have liked. “I sure hope I’m not late…”.

“You, stop where you are! What are you doing here at the Eastern Palace?”.

Link turned his head up the stairs – he was right in front of the gates! – and saw the man who had yelled at him. It was a tall and thin man in his twenties with white hair tied in a ponytail on top of his head and the rest of his bangs hanging on each side of his face. His eyes were a pale blue, almost teal in colour, and his skin was more or less tanned. He wore long yellow robes with a purple apron that had the Triforce symbol on it and a necklace with a teal stone. He would have been handsome, if he did not stand over there looking like a pissed off overconfident jerk, fists shaking and rod pointed at his accusingly.

Link got closer to talk to him face to face. “Oh, my apologies.”, said Osfala – it had to be him – when he got a good look at him. “I thought you were someone I’m looking for. Aren’t you Link?”.

“Yes.”. Now Osfala acted a lot nicer. Maybe his initial impression of him was wrong after all.

“You’re the blacksmith’s apprentice, right? But what are you doing all the way to the Eastern Palace?”.

“The Elder Sahasrahla sent me to fetch back to Kakariko.”, explained Link. “The man you’re looking for – his name’s Yuga – was at the Sanctuary this morning, and he turned Seres and Captain Arthur, you know, the one from the Royal guard, into paintings! The Elder is worried for your safety!”.

“Vile deeds at the Sanctuary?”, exclaimed Osfala, once again pointing his rod at Link. “My master sent you to fetch me back to safety?”.

“You don’t have to sound so disbelieving about _that_ …”, mumbled Link. And why was everyone repeating his words today?!

“Wah-haha!”. Link stared in disbelief as the young man started laughing as if he was just told a very good joke. “This Yuga you speak of… Surely he’s cause for grave concern.”, said Osfala looking awfully _unconcerned_. “But why should Sahasrahla be worried about me? I’m a descendant of the original Seven Sages. I’m just as powerful as them!”.

“ _Say_ **what?!** ”.

“I even got myself a Sand Rod, so I’m more or less invincible. Bold talk, you might say, but it’s simply the truth.”.

“Invincible?! So was the Captain!”.

“I’ll get to the bottom of all this Yuga nonsense.”. _Nonsense?!_ “Now, farewell to you, Link.”. And with that, Osfala disappeared into the Eastern Palace.

Link just stood there worried, dumbfounded, and above all, enraged. “Who does this guy think he is?! Does he have _no respect_ for the Elder? He’s his _mentor_ , for Goddess’ shake! How does he dare to call all that “nonsense”? I can’t believe him! How am I supposed to convince him to come back?”.

_Well, finding him would be a good start_ , said that little annoying voice in his head. Heeding the voice’s advice, Link took a deep breath to calm him nerves and drew his sword. He woke up the weather vine bird for good measure. _“Best of luck in there!”_ , it seemed to chirp.

With a resolute step, Link entered the infamous Eastern Palace.

* * *

The interior of the Eastern Palace was made out of nothing but stone. The walls were made of green bricks and there were strange stone masks hanging from there. The floor was made of grey stone and the floor’s edges were marked by teal bricks. Yes, the floor’s edges. As soon as he entered, Link encountered a gap on the floor with no way across, the gate standing proudly on the other side. Said gap was guarded needlessly by two warrior statues, not Armos – these would attack him as soon as he entered. Left and right of said gap were two other paths that led to two other gates that were tightly shut.

Thankfully, the mystery of the impassable gap on the floor was fairly easy to solve. Next to the gate behind the gap stood another crystal orb/switch which Link shot with an arrow. The switch turned light blue and two different sections of the wall came down and formed a floor for Link to walk on.

The path ahead was straight but also surrounded by bottomless pits. After he took out the Popos – blue, orange, coral, tentacle things – he noticed that left and right there were two more pathways that led to a dead end. However, the one on his left also had a treasure chest and a crystal orb switch, while the other one had a warrior statue with a few rupees laying behind it. _This just screams “I’m a trap!”_ , thought Link. He chose to activate the switch on his left and watched satisfied as the gate opened. Link returned to the entrance and went to the chest where he found a red rupee. _That’s worth twenty!_ , thought Link. He then remembered his master’s typical warning that always came along with the salary. _“Don’t spent it all in one place!”_.

Link went back to the middle path choosing to skip the right dead end – that statue could be an Armos that would send him to the bottom of the pit, for all he knew – and moved on to the next room.

He found himself on top of a staircase, the next two platforms ahead of him sporting a few more statues and two closed gates on each wall. A few rupees were laying on the left platform, and the two platforms were connected with green metal fence that looked pretty sturdy. However there was no way to get from the spot he was currently at to the two platforms. Link looked down bellow to find a way to get there. There was a strange sound coming from there – almost as if something heavy was rolling…

His eyes almost fell of their sockets. _Metal balls_. Down bellow there was a narrow corridor he had no choice but to traverse, with metal balls his size rolling through it. He gulped. He would get smashed by them!

Link took a deep breath and paid closer attention to his current predicament. Most of the balls were rolling right next to the wall, leaving a big enough gap for him to pass through. There was also the occasional large ball coming in that filled the space entirely. After a while Link noticed a pattern. Three left balls, three right, one big, rinse and repeat, with the addition of small zigzag balls for every three rounds. And on top of that, there were sockets in the wall he could hide in. Link smirked. Crossing would be easier than he first thought.

Within seconds, Link had passed through the corridor and found himself in front of another staircase, which had a locked door on top. He also noticed that the lower level had two more gates, with the left one being open. Actually, the left gate bellow was the _only_ one open so Link went through.

The gate shut behind him with a bam, and three Popos fell from the ceiling. Link was quick to dispatch them, however as soon as he did so, another four appeared. Link also took them out. As soon as he did so, the saw the gate behind him opened, along with the one at the other end of the room. Also, Link heard the sound of something wooden falling on the platform placed above a second tunnel that led to the next room.

Link went through the tunnel and found a wooden chest which had another red rupee in it. Surrounding him was a staircase that led to the treasure chest on top of the tunnel. Link returned to the room with the Popos, went through the newly opened gate to the platform and eagerly opened the treasure chest to find his reward.

Its contents baffled him. It was a magic compass. But what use could he have for it? It did not point north, that was for sure. Link decided to follow the direction it was pointing towards, and found himself face to face with the locked door. He stepped closer and that was when he felt something underneath his foot move. With surprise he watched the rock sink into the same level with the rest of the floor, and the gate in front of him open.

Link went through. He was back in the room with the metal balls, this time on the left of the two platforms that he could not reach earlier. On the other side was another door. Link made a dash for it, and carefully searched the floor for another switch. He pressed it, and a statue started moving. _I hate Armos._ , he thought as he hit one with his sword and shattered it, shattering it after a few tries. _Wow, they’re so fragile!_

The next room also featured a narrow hallway with a bottomless pit on both sides, along with a moving platform, and two crystal orb switches on each side of the wall, on two different heights. Link stepped of the platform – he thought that the name for these was an “elevator” – and drew his bow, aiming for the two switches. In response, some sort of a timer started ticking, and two walls on the end of the hallway went down, revealing a treasure chest. Link jumped from the elevator and ran to the treasure chest as fact as he could, for he had a pretty good idea what the timers were for. Inside he found a key. However he did not rejoice as he jumped out of the way to avoid being enclosed by the moving walls.

Safe from all danger, Link paused to think. There were several bricks from the wall missing. And behind those gaps, he could make out some much, _much_ older bricks. However, everything that Link had seen in the palace so far – he very much doubted that the place was a palace at this point – was as old as the newer bricks, not the old ones that he had spotted just now. The implications were staggering.

Someone had gone out of their way to completely change the layout of the Eastern Palace. And they had done so rather _recently_ , definitely a couple of centuries after the era of the Legendary Hero. But why? Why would anyone rebuild an abandoned tower from scratch and fill it with traps and riddles? Whoever redesigned this place had literally posed a challenge to the world: _“Survive adventurer, if you can, and I shall provide your path forward.”_. Link shuddered. He felt as if he was being toyed with here.

Stocking away his thoughts for later examination, Link returned to the “metal balls” room, climbed the staircase and shoved the key in the locked door. Strangely enough, the door had a red arrow that was pointing up. _This must lead to the second floor_ , thought Link. Hard to believe that he was on the first floor this whole time. “I guess I’ll have to reach the top.”.

Link climbed the stairs and found himself in a small square room with gates on the left and right walls, and a warrior statue in each corner. On the centre on the floor was a bright red button. The door behind him shut with a bang. “This trap is _sooo_ obvious…”.

With a sigh, Link readied his sword, and stepped on the button. As expected, the warrior statues came to life and started advancing towards him with a shocking speed. _I hate Armos_ , he thought as he smashed through them with some frantic strikes. All the doors opened.

After a bit of consideration Link opted for the east room, and almost got impaled by an arrow. He stared at the wall in disbelief as a device instilled on it fired arrows without cease. In fact, the whole room was nothing but narrow paths and hidden crossbow devices at each end. Link groaned. He really should find a shield one of these day, or else he was a hylian needle cushion. Link ran for his life, up the stairs, down the stairs, to the next gate, only to find that it was closed.

The Goddesses must really hate him.

He went through the room again, ducking to avoid the arrows, in search for a floor switch. As soon as he pressed it, he ran to the next room. And… he decided that he should not go there.

The Goddesses really DO hate him today.

He returned to the room with the Armos and stepped into the west room.

It was yet another room with metal balls and floor switches. There were three holes on the north and south of the room, and between them various pot that would surely make passing through even harder. The switch was at the other side of the room. Link ran there and pressed it, revealing a staircase that literally came out of the wall. A timer went off and Link ran up the stairs, reaching the top just before the timer went off and the staircase returned to its original position. On that platform there were also metal balls rolling, but Link just waited and crossed it in the time gap between two balls. He then climbed down the stairs and found himself in a space where there were even _more_ metal balls rolling around. In fact, the four walls had three holes each, with balls rolling out of there and moving in random patterns. In the middle of the space was a raised pedestal that hindered movement even further.

Only one choice here.

Link scanned the floor for the switch and when he found it, he pressed his back on the wall to avoid getting hit by the balls, as he noticed that none of them collided with the wall or with each other. Talk about a feat of engineering. He pressed the switch, opened the door, and moved to the next room.

Which had a bottomless pit. He was on the second floor! How was a bottomless pit even possible?! _Then again,_ he reasoned, _this room is probably above the other_.

Having no other option, Link ran through the narrow corridor – the guy who designed his place is really unoriginal with his traps – and climbed the stairs. From his higher point of view, he could now inspect the room better. Ahead of him was a huge door with an equally big keyhole, and two crystal orb switches left and right. Link drew his bow and hit the left one, activating the left/west elevator. He ran there while dodging the Armos, only to find that it was locked. Going back – after pushing the Armos in the pit – he aimed for the west crystal orb switch which activated the west elevator. Using that, Link was also able to hit the third crystal orb switch which opened the west gate.

Link ran through. This room also had a bottomless pit with a pedestal that had four crystal orb switches on it, and a floating platform making circles around it. Automatic crossbows were hidden in the walls. After activating the switches with his arrows and avoiding becoming a living pin cushion, a treasure chest fell from the ceiling and the crossbows deactivated. Link found a small key inside, which he used in the locked door of the previous room – the small one.

The door locked itself behind him, and something bellow Link clattered. Bones that floated and reassembled themselves into human skeletons.

Stalfos were some of the most horrific monsters out there. There were the skeletons of people who died in cursed places or fell in battle. They were also some of the most skilled fighters and if armed, they could easily overpower even the Hyrule Royal guard. And now Link had to face three of them at once.

Thank the Goddesses that the Stalfos made no real attempt to attack him. The fight lasted for five while minutes, with the human skeletons dodging his every strike and even adjusting their strategy to face him. As soon as they were out, Link made sure to smash their bones in tiny pieces to prevent them from reassembling. The Stalfos were known for their ability to come back from the dead.

From their defeat also came the reward. A platform lowered itself and presented HUGE treasure chest. With a very conscious grunt of effort, Link opened it. Inside laid a large golden key. The eyes of a monster on the design seemed to stare at him, and to increase the effect, the key also had horns. Link immediately knew which door that key was meant to open. He placed it in his bag.

In the same room was a staircase that led to a tiny chamber with a crystal orb switch in it. Link activated it with a strike from his sword, and in response he heard something moving elsewhere. He went back to the room with the bottomless pit and the numerous switches, only to find that a fourth crystal orb switch had been revealed. Link activated it with an arrow.

The hallway flipped upside down and turned into a staircase. One that led to the huge door.

The feeling of conclusion washed over Link. THAT was the Final Room. If he made it through there he would find Osfala. If he made it through there, he could leave. If he made it through there, he would manage to prove something to the world, and above all to himself. He could prove that _he was worthy of any reward_ he walked to the gate _that awaited him behind those closed gates_ slipped the key in the door _any secret FACE IT_ turned it _THE LAST TEST FOR NOW IS AHEAD_ opened the door _NO TURNING BACK_

Link walked in with purpose.

To face Yuga.

* * *

A gasp escaped Link’s lips at the sight in front of him.

It was not the room that caused it. That was merely a tiny rectangular chamber with a round bottomless pit light in the middle, which left just enough space on the floor for someone to move around without falling inside. There was a thin slit on the north wall from which came the crimson glow of the twilight sun, just barely managing to illuminate the chamber – the only source of natural light.

It was the unnatural light however, that caught Link’s attention. At the north side of the chamber stood Yuga, his magic staff raised triumphantly and the colourful blade burning brightly. His face was twisted in an indignant sneer as he mercilessly tortured Osfala, the young sage whining and screaming in the clutches of the rainbow fire, hanging above the pit.

“Ha! After all your posing, after all your preening… just look at you now! Now, my fine fellow, prepare to be made into my latest work of art! You’ll have a privileged place in my collection of Sages!”. With each and every one of his sentences, the art sorcerer whipped his torch, resulting to yet another groan of pain from the youth.

With the end of his speech, Yuga’s movements also ceased, and his sneer shifted to a furrowed brow as he focused intensely on Osfala. He blasted him with his rod and a yellow painting frame, otherwise identical to the one that had imprisoned Seres, was formed, with Osfala posing in the middle.

He did not even have the time to scream. Link was petrified.

“Aha!”, yelled out Yuga in victory. “An excellent painting! What a knack I have for capturing the smallest details JUST so.”. The portrait floated to Yuga’s hand, and he leaned to examine it one last time, before preparing to depart.

His eyes fell on Link.

“Oh! Who-?”. Link said nothing, but Yuga recognized him nonetheless. “You’re that wriggling worm I saw at the Sanctuary!”. The reminder of the taunt that had him slamming headfirst into the wall was enough to shake Link of his shocked stupor, but not enough to anger him. He already had enough things to be angry about. He calmly raised his sword.

“What, you’ve come to challenge me again?”, asked Yuga baffled. “I don’t have time to coddles with would be heroes. But if you insist…” a change in the tone of his voice was the only warning he had –

**“I will oblige.”.**

The fight was on.

* * *

Link reacted first, jumping over the gap with his sword raised, ready to cleave Yuga in two. Yuga merged with the wall behind him. _Just like last time._

The sorcerer moved along the wall and Link matched his movement to stay close to him. Tired of waiting, Yuga blasted himself out of the wall, simultaneously creating two other incorporeal portraits beside him. Two white lightning blasts illuminated the room. However, what shone brighter was not the magic but rather Link’s inexperience.

Panicked from the sudden attack and blinded by the radiant light, Link had tried to dodge the incoming blast only to end up being hit by it instead. _Alright_ , he thought in his pain, _Melee attacks won’t work_. In spite of the injury though, Link had also learned something from the experience. Yuga could not attack while he was merged with the wall.

Instead of staying close to Yuga in order to slice him with his sword, Link opted to change his tactics and stood at the opposite end of the pit with his bow at the ready, facing Yuga directly. Now, there was no way for Yuga to come out of the wall and attack without risking getting himself impaled by the arrows. Link had effectively trapped Yuga into a corner, and the latter knew that.

Yuga tried changing positions as an attempt to throw off Link’s aim, but the young swords-boy did not have any real trouble keeping the sorcerer in his direct line of vision. Wanting to break the stalling game, Yuga came out and Link charged his bow. A yelp of pain followed the white and purple lights of the attacks. It was Yuga’s. He did not die, as most people would, but bows and arrows were called the weapons of the assassins for a reason; if they make contact, there is no escaping unscathed. The sorcerer went back to the wall and the duel resumed.

Keeping up with the sorcerer was getting increasingly harder for Link as the mage was becoming more and more aggravated, to the point where Link could make out fumes coming from his ears. He let one more arrow fly, and his aim was true.

Yuga was bleeding. _Yes!_

The sorcerer fell on his knee, struggling to regain his breath. The blond boy stayed on his guard. The wound was on the sorcerer’s abdomen. Link did not know much about anatomy, but he could tell that the wound was not lethal – not to Yuga, that is. There was no telling what the man would do while in this state.

“Enough of this!”, yelled Yuga. “You’re going to spoil everything!”.

Link just narrowed his eyes, trying to hide his own tiredness. Now he knew exactly what Ravio meant when he said that the bow was drawing energy directly from the user. However, his attention was on Yuga. The wizard would try something, he just knew it.

“You’ve forced my hand.”. Yuga stood up, enraged. He pointed his staff towards Link, and a golden orb of magic formed in mid air. “I must brush you aside!”.

The blast hit him before his brain could even comprehend that he was being targeted. A golden flash was all he saw – all he _could_ see – and the next thing he knew, he felt something like a wall hit him solid on his face – no, his whole body – and engulf him entirely. That was when his sight was returned, thought it was blurry. His limbs were stretched out, and at the edge of his vision he could make out a glowing painting frame surrounding him.

Realisation hit him like a ton of bricks.

That was it. It was over. Just as victory was in his grasp, Yuga had retaliated by turning him into a painting.

The pain was unbearable. And then, there was… nothing. No more anguish, no more pain, no more _feeling_. He could see straight ahead but that was all in it. _Is this what being a painting is supposed to feel like?_

“What a sad, drab painting you make. You can rot there for all I care.”. Link turned his attention to the red-haired mage. He was still standing at the opposite side of the chamber, making it easy for Link to see him, and the expression of disgust on his face was something hard to miss. His voice sounded strange to Link, as if the boy was submerged underwater or had his ears covered with his palms.

“Onward.”, continued the mage to himself as he moved to the window. “I have more perfect pictured to add to my collection.”. He once again turned into a portrait, and moved out of Link’s line of sight, but his parting words still rang clear in his ears. “Oh, how I long to hang that exquisite Princess Zelda on my wall…”.

Princess Zelda! Link could not believe it. That evil sorcerer was after that beautiful and kind Princess Zelda? How could someone be so… malicious?! Now Princess Zelda was in danger!

And it was entirely his fault. He had failed to stop Yuga – _again_. He had failed to stop Osfala. He had failed to save Seres. He had failed to get to the Captain in time. And now he would fail to save Princess Zelda as well. He was stuck in a wall, for Din’s sake! He could not even move!

If only he could get out of here…

On his right, something started to glow. _What in the-?_ Link turned his eyes to the source – wait, he _turned_ his eyes? He could actually move? The glow intensified and Link blinked out of reflex, trying to shield his eyes from the light. He blinked! He could really move!

_I have to get out!_ Link tried to make a step forward and in response the feeling of the wall squeezing him from all sides returned as he struggled to break free… and fell on his nose.

“Ouch!”, he yelped. He shook his head to clear it from his dizziness while clutching his nose to make sure it was not broken. He then gazed down at his new accessory in astonishment. The old musty leather now looked as if it was brand new, and the designs made by the stitching were easy to make out. In the empty space in the middle of the bracelet, a purple gem stone had taken its rightful place, glowing with the same light that Link had accustomed with the bow and restoring the bracelet to its former beauty.

But _how_? It was supposed to be nothing but an old, smelly, leather band! Did Ravio even _know_ what he had given him? His head was swimming.

Link leaned back on the wall, exhausted from the day’s events, quite literally falling right into it. “Woah!”. With a jerky move Link sprang up on his feet. What had just happened? He was leaning against the wall! He should not _fall back._

_It can’t be._ , he thought in disbelief, a crazy idea forming in his head. _Then again,_ he reasoned, _today is all about crazy_. Link pressed his body against the wall and with a deep breath, he tried to repeat the same technique that activated his rented bow – this time though, he focused on the bracelet. Instantly, the gold and green painting frame was formed around him, and he became one with the wall.

As expected, just like the bow, this bracelet too drew its power from the user’s energy reserves. Link tried to hold on the wall for as long as he could, so he could grow accustomed to that new sensation. Merging with the wall stripped Link from all his physical senses other than sight and hearing – it was an extremely disorienting experience that left the boy very confused. Right now the only thing he could feel was his will. _Somehow, the sensation was familiar._

The wall practically spit out Link once his energy reserves hit their limit, much to Link’s relief. It would be a _huge_ problem if he were to get stuck in a wall. He waited for his reserves to refill before merging with the wall again, this time attempting to move. Based on his earlier assumption, he willed to move his eyes left and right. Experiment completed with total success, Link burst out of the wall.

A grin was on his lips. _Time to go after that travesty of a sorcerer._

Without hesitating any longer, Link slammed himself into the wall next to the opening and slipped through it, trying to forget that any wrong move would turn him into a painting on the stone permanently. The fact that the horizon was currently in the process of being painted purple did not help much. What time was it anyway? It seemed that he only had one hour at most before sundown, and he was not in the mood to deal with frantic octorocks in the middle of the night.

Link soon discovered a balcony outside the castle with no apparent purpose other than a decoration – otherwise, there would have put a _window_ there at least – which Link used to survey his surroundings. The Eastern Palace was a lot taller that he had first thought. Even though the tower technically had only three floors, it was built on the tallest spot of the ruin complex, and each one of its floors had a high enough ceiling to amount for two. In addition, the base of the tower was at least five meters high. That made the total of seven floors. Talk about high.

Finding nothing but a few rupees laying around, Link returned to the camber and then took to survey the west balconies as well. Thankfully, the lighting here was better, seeing that it was not obscured by any walls, and Link scanned the area for any hint of Yuga. He was nowhere to be found.

_I lost him._

“DAMNIT!”. His right fist seared in pain upon impact with the stone wall. Link reflexively withdrew his arm and brought it close to his face to inspect the damage. His right hand and forearm had received the full force of Yuga’s magical attack.

Link had no idea why he had not felt any pain up until now, but that pain was vicious and unlike anything he had received from the forge. He felt as if jolts of fire and electricity were running inside his body; it was so painful that everything else felt numb. Link lifted his sleeve. Zigzagged lines of colourful, mostly golden light were coursing alongside his veins. He could easily feel the presence of foreign magic, slowly burning his flesh. Movement made his hand feel stiff, as if the magic resisted to being bent. That was most probably the case.

However, there was not any scratch on his arm from banging it on the wall just now. _Small mercies_.

Bringing his sleeve back down, for a glowing arm would not do him any favours now, Link lit up his lantern and tied it on his belt, this time looking for a way down. The Eastern Palaces balconies were right bellow each other, making it impossible to jump from one balconies to another. With no other choice but to use his newfound ability to merge with walls, Link moved back and forth between the east and west balconies, slowly but surely coming scaling down the building. Soon he found a treasure chest which he opened, hoping for a clue. He found a silver rupee instead. _That’s worth a hundred rupees!_ , he thought surprised at his find. _Well, no one’s going to miss it._

Link once again changed balconies and went to the west side, where he found an elevator. He used it to go down to the second floor balcony. A nasty surprise greeted him when the floor underneath him started moving into the building, leaving him with no footing. Link turned into a painting and waited for the floor to return, before continuing his run.

Finding a second elevator, Link jumped to the first floor where he was met with a dead end. While he tried to figure a way out of this new predicament, the wall that blocked him moved and created a single wall with another one, which was in turn connected to another balcony. Grasping the chance, Link turned into a painting and crossed it. Seeing another treasure chest ahead, Link once again turned into a painting and opened it. A purple rupee was inside.

Returning to the previous balcony, Link found a slit on the wall. Curious, he walked through it, and almost laughed when he realized his location. He was at the very entrance of the Eastern Palace, right where he had started. He spotted a second slit on the wall, which led to another balcony. His finding was yet another treasure chest with yet another silver rupee.

His attention was caught by a strange tapping sound coming from the entrance. _What now? Did Yuga return to admire his handiwork?_ Drawing his sword, Link slipped through the opening and returned to the entrance.

“Elder?! What are you doing here?”.

“Ah, my lad!”, greeted him Sahasrahla, obviously relieved. “You’ve finally found your way back out of the Eastern Palace! But what of Osflala?”.

Link hung his head down in shame. The devastated gaze on the elder’s face as he realized the truth was like a punch to the gut for him. “No…! Yuga has taken Osfala too?”. A single nod. “Worse still, he now has two of our Sages!”.

“There’s more.”.

“What?”.

“He said that… He’s going after Princess Zelda.”.

“We mustn’t let that happen!”.

“But how are we going to stop him?”, protested Link, his composure finally breaking. “I couldn’t find him anywhere! He could be at the castle now, kidnapping her, for all I know!”.

As if on cue, something akin to an earthquake came from the castle, nearly knocking the two of them of their feet.

“My word!”, said Sahasrahla. “What was THAT?!”. He turned to the direction where the enormous tremor had originated. “Are we too late? Something dire is happening at Hyrule Castle! There’s no time to waste!”.

“I’ll come with you.”, said Link, getting rid of his self pity.

“Are you sure, my lad? Who knows what has happened there!”.

“Which is why I _must GO_!”. Both of them froze at Link’s reaction. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to yell at you…”. Sahasrahla was about to wave him off. “But I’m going.”.

The elder sent a stony look at the boy’s eyes. Link met it evenly. He had made up him mind.

“You can come.”, he relented.

Link nodded sharply, no further need to say anything.

* * *

They _were_ too late. Far too late, in fact. Link was terrified, but more so was the Elder. “Wh-what is going on here?!”.

The entire castle was engulfed with colourful flames that were a darker version of all the shades of the rainbow – Link privately thought that they resembled strokes of the brush on the canvas. How fitting. And to add insult to the wound as well as a bit of humor to the situation, Yuga had “painted” prison bars of black flames right on the front gate.

Cheeky.

Sahasrahla cautiously approached the black flames, and summoned a blast of white magic with his staff. The white orb bounced harmlessly on the flames – in fact they seemed to retaliate and strike back the elder, drawing a shout of pain out of him. “That barrier!”, he exclaimed. “I’ve never seen such magic! I daren’t approach it. But we must break through somehow. Princess Zelda and Lady Impa are trapped inside the castle!”.

The elder turned to Link, a grave look on his face _you know what is coming a test bring it back as a proof-_

“Listen well, Link. We must turn again to the legend of old for our solution.”.

**!**

“These abominable events are an echo of what happened all those years ago. Then, when the castle was in the grip of evil, the hero of that day found the Master Sword. The hero first had to claim the three Pendants of Virtue to prove himself worthy of the blade.”. Sahasrahla seemed to realize something in his own words. “But there we are already thwarted. For one of those pendants is INSIDE the castle with Princess Zelda!”. The elder’s shoulders were slumped in defeat. “Oh, what a quandary. We need her pendant, but there is no way to get it.”.

_Could he mean…?_ Link drew the cord under his shirt, revealing the green jewel.

**”Wh-what’s that?”**. The elder was astonished, and for a good reason. “It can’t be! You’re wearing-! That’s the Pendant of Courage! What in Hyrule are you doing with it, Link?”.

The boy smiled faintly, in spite of the grim situation. “Princess Zelda gave it to me when she asked me to find you. She had told me it was a special charm…”.

“She gave it to you?”. A look of thoughtfulness and admiration was on the older man’s face. “How right she was. She must have sensed the evil in Hyrule – and the rise of a new hero to meet it.”.

“A new hero?”.

“So is it you? It must be. Why else would the princess have given you the Pendant of Courage? She knew you would need to get the Master Sword! Well then, my young hero, you’ve got quite a quest ahead of you.”, said Sahasrahla, his mood considerably brightened. “You have to find the other two pendants. One pendant has been enshrined in the House of Gales. And the other pendant, in the Tower of Hera. I’ll show you their locations on a map, once we return to my home. It also seems prudent to search my library for clues to who the other Seven Sages of our day may be. So for now, it’s all up to you, Link!”.

_Somehow, I’m not surprised. But I do not think myself worthy of that honor. I don’t know if I can uphold it either._

_After all, we’re looking for a stain on the wall._


	4. DISASTER~!

“Well, as you can see, reaching the House of Gales will be rather tricky, as it is only accessible through Lake Hylia.”.

Link leaned over the map to observe the map on the table. “Are there any boats I can rent there?”, he asked the Elder hopeful.

Sahasrahla shook his head. “I’m afraid not. The Zoras can be quite territorial. In ancient times they would attack merchant boats and ships that crossed their waters, causing such the extensive damage that the art of sailing is all but lost to us today. And not only that, many a people hardly dare to approach our rivers.”.

“So I have to swim there? I don’t know how.”.

“It’s not surprising. Many people don’t. I strongly suggest you pay a visit to the Zora Queen for her aid.”.

Link blinked in surprise. “The Zoras have a Queen?”.

“Indeed they do – they are not quite as uncivilized as people tend to believe.”.

Link decided to store that bit of information in his mind for later. “Where is she?”.

Sahasrahla pointed a waterfall high along the river. “The Zora Domain is hidden from our eyes as a means of protection – however their Queen is said to be welcoming to well-meaning Hylians, even if they are strangers. However, many dangers lay in the path – more so from today on.”.

“Don’t you say…”.

Kakariko Village was in an uproar the whole night.

The devastating earthquake had caused more than just a little damage to the small village; many animals had ran away in fright, and several objects of value along with a few structures had been completely destroyed. Individually, the damage was not that big, but in order to be repaired there would be need for a lot of money, as many people’s lives depended on their livestock.

Not an hour after the earthquake, a few soldiers of the Royal Guard started appearing, looking all frantic and terrified. They spoke of a man of evil deeds who showed up out of thin air and assaulted the castle with his magic. When asked what happened to the other soldiers, they said they were gone. And to add to all that turmoil, Link and Sahasrahla appeared later that evening, both exhausted from fighting the strange soldiers that had overtaken the surroundings of the castle.

Actually, the denizens of Kakariko did not know what the two of them were doing all day – only that they had both mysteriously disappeared earlier that afternoon and came back being worse for the wear.

Rumors spread faster than a plague, filling the villagers’ hearts with fear – the unknown had always been a source of trouble and pain for the denizens of Hyrule, and the sum of bizarre events that had taken place in less than twenty-four hours was no exception.

That night, instead of returning to his home, Link had stayed with the Elder in spite of his initial protests. The old man had offered him a bed and some food, after checking up his magic-induced injury. The following morning the two had sat in the study – which was even messier than before, if such a thing was even possible – to discuss their future plans.

“How is your arm, my lad?”.

Link flexed his right hand experimentally, the golden glow hidden under the bandages and his sleeve. “Better. Still stiff though.”. Sahasrahla shot Link a searching look, trying to detect any lie in his eyes; Link was known for his tendency to hide injuries as proven by many past incidents at the forge. He did not push the subject any further.

“If I were you, I would first pay the village’s shops a visit to restock. You may find many helpful things there. Do you have any money?”. Link nodded. “Good.”.

“Anything else about the House of Gales?”.

“Excuse me?”.

Link lifted his bow. “There was a carving of a bow at the entrance of the Eastern Place on top of some pillars - I needed one to get inside. Anything like it at the House of Gales?”.

Sahasrahla seemed to think about it. “I’m afraid my memory is not as good as it used to be. I’m sorry I can’t help you there.”.

“Don’t worry.”. Link smiled gratefully. “You already helped a lot.”.

“Don’t hesitate to ask me again, my lad.”.

“I know I’ll need all the help I can get.”, replied Link in an attempt for humour. “Well, I’m off.”.

“May the Goddesses protect you, my boy. I know you will stop this evil and save Hyrule.”.

* * *

 

The brilliance of the sun would make one think that nothing had happened the day before.

The first thing Link did was head to the Milk Bar. Truth to be told, the word “Milk” on the establishment’s name, as well as the wooden cow head that decorated the entrance had only been added recently, after the Talon, the owner of the ranch, had bought the business. Not that anyone knew where the ranch actually was, but to Link that was for the best. Cows were worth a fortune. The bar’s delicacy was the one and only Chateau Romani – a sweet and creamy drink based on milk that contained alcohol in it. Its production was a closely guarded secret by Talon, and that had certainly helped to up his profit.

Inside the bar was more crowded than usual, as along with the regular patrons and the two musicians at the back, sat many soldiers, shouting their complaints over a glass of, as expected, Chateau Romani.

Link had a few words to say to them.

The door behind him closed with a bang, making the soldiers jump on their seats, and Link sent a death glare towards them. With deliberately slow steps, the boy approached the cowering soldiers, knowing that he had made a sight of himself – armed to the teeth and everything – but not caring in the slightest.

“We-! We ran from the castle to fight another day, that’s all!”, a soldier spluttered. “We were outnumbered!”. Obviously the boy had given the whole village quite the scare last night, showing up bloody from the fights with Yuga’s soldiers on the way back from the castle. Otherwise the Royal Guards would not be trying to explain themselves to _him_.

“Curse whoever’s behind all the evildoing at Hyrule Castle!”, yelled the other soldier next to him, obviously drunk. “How did that happen?”.

“How should I know?”, protested the other soldier. “I was just scrubbing the wall and next thing I know everyone’s running!”.

“You’re just looking for an excuse for being a coward!”.

“You were running as well! Screaming like a little girl: _“Oh, no! My dear sweet castle, what have those badies done to you?”_ Exactly like that!”.

“You little-!”.

Link left them to their argument. He would not get any information from those two, that much was obvious. He moved on to the other patrons, first asking an old man who sat on the counter. “Um, sir…?”.

“Whaddya want? Can’t a guy just drink him milk in peace?”. _If that guy’s drinking milk then I’m the King of Evil._ “Ah, sorry.”, apologized the man, once he realised was talking to a boy and not a thug. “Don’t mean to be a grump. I’m just thinking about magnifying glasses – how I’d read maps with’em. But my eyesight’s going, and now not even a magnifying glass helps!”.

“You’re not worried about the castle at all?”. Link turned to the one who had spoken up, the owner, Talon. The old man did not reply. Talon sighed heavily. “Everyone in the village is talking about the castle, you know.”, he said to Link. “And how the elder left his house for the first time in forever! Who knew Sahasrahla could walk so far!”, he said with wonder.

Link chuckled. “You won’t believe. He walked all the way from his house to the Eastern Palace, then Hyrule Castle and back here and he was not even winded!”.

“Seriously?! The old man is tough… What was he doing at Hyrule Castle?”.

“We went to see what happened. You know, after the earthquake.”.

Talon shook his head in disbelief. “Strange days, people are saying. And they’re probably about to get even stranger!”. Talon seemed to realize something, and switched to barman mode. “I have some chilled milk for you, if you want. It’s twenty rupees a glass. Fancy a drink?”.

Under normal conditions, Link would not even think about it with such a price, but in his raid at the Eastern Palace he had gathered over three hundred rupees. He could afford it – besides, he had skipped breakfast. He should make sure that skipping meals did not become a habit of his. Thanking the owner and handing him a red rupee, Link finished his milk – it was really good – and left.

Link swiftly ran to the general store, ignoring the old man in the middle who said something about passing streets, and inspected the items. On the shop’s counter were a strange bottle, a rotten fruit – who would buy a rotten fruit? – and, _Nice!_ , a shield.

“Excuse me, ma’am? How much is that shield?”.

“Oh, you’re interested in it? That makes perfect sense, what, with all those monsters outside the village.”, she said in understanding. “They sprang up so suddenly! I’ll sell it to you for fifty rupees. How about it?”.

“Sounds great, ma’am!”, he replied. Getting a shield at that price was a real bargain.

“Thank you very much!”, she replied as Link handed her over a purple rupee. “Defense is important when you’re fighting monsters. You should now that, looking all banged up like that!”.

“It’s nothing ma’am, really.”.

“You’re covered with cuts. Now, watch yourself out there, OK?”.

“Yes, ma’am, Thanks for the shield!”.

“You’re welcome!”.

The shield that Link had purchased was as basic as it could get; it was made of wood and had a metal frame, but it had no design or any other particular details whatsoever. Unsurprisingly, the shield was made for right handed users, but Link could change that easily. All he had to do was remove the leather bound handle from the shield that was used to steady the grip and nail it to the other side. He could do that at the smithy.

His mind filled with a subtle panic as he considered the implications of paying a visit at the smith’s house. _I haven’t been there since yesterday morning… And Mrs. Lily already knows I had gone to the Eastern Palace…_ On top of that, the earthquake had surely had kept the small family up all night, just as it had with the village – and the rest of Hyrule, most definitely. They must have heard the rumors of his arrival to Kakariko Village by now. Link knew that he had a _lot_ of explaining to do; he was not looking forward to it.

With a heavy sigh Link strapped the newly bought shield on his scabbard and briefly pondered on the image he created. He was slightly amused by it – the blacksmith’s young apprentice armed to the teeth like that. In a probably vain attempt for subtlety, Link strapped his bow under his shield to hide it somewhat, hoping the result was satisfactory.

Passing by the weather vine in the middle of the village – he had woken it up the day before, much to the surprise of the elder – Link ran straight to the blacksmith’s house, thankful that it was so close to the village. Huh. He was being thankful for quite a few things as of late.

The first thing he noticed once he reached the smithy was how _empty_ it was. Absent were Mrs. Lily and Gulley, and there was hardly any sound of conversation lingering in the air. The only indication that the place was not empty was the thick black smoke that came from the chimney, along with the resounding clang of the hammer on the metal.

Link walked inside.

The place was a chaos. There were weapons of the Royal Guard scattered all over the place, most of them abused in some fashion. Unlike most days, both Mr. Nick and the old blacksmith were working at the forge, looking tired even though it was only mid morning.

“Master?”, Link called out tentatively.

Mr. Nick looked up from his work, his eyes widening in surprise. “Link! What in the world were you doing all day? I told you to deliver the sword to the Captain, not go running to the Eastern Palace!”.

Of course his wife had told him about that. “Long story…”.

“Well then, what you’re waiting for? Go on! Say it!”.

Link knew he was not getting out of this. “In short, some art obsessed weirdo kidnapped the Captain and Seres, I reported that to the Castle and Princess Zelda sent me to Sahasrahla, who in turn sent me to an errand at the Eastern Palace. By the time I was done the earthquake had already struck, so I spent the night at the village.”.

The blacksmith stared at him with an expression which clearly showed that he did not believe Link’s story in the slightest, but he did not comment on it. “Alright then. Back to work.”.

“Actually, no.”.

That reply really angered the blacksmith. “What do you mean, NO?”.

Without acknowledging the question, Link moved to the little space left on the stall and removed his shield. For the first time since he entered, the blacksmith noticed the boy’s newly acquired gear. “You’re armed?!”, he asked in astonishment. “What in Din’s name is going on with you?”.

“I’m not done with my errands yet.”. In the meantime Link had gathered the necessary tools and proceeded to remove the leather band from the shield. He oiled the nails so they could slide with ease without getting destroyed. After removing them, after wiping the oil off the nails with a cloth, he hammered the leather band to the other side of the shield, making sure said band had just the right distance from the second leather band in the middle of the shield. Once he was done, he tested his grip, and satisfied with the result, he strapped the shield across his back.

All the while Mr. Nick and the old blacksmith were staring at him silent.

“I got to go.”, said Link, putting the tools back in place.

The blacksmith opened his mouth ready to retort, but something stopped him. He let out a resigned sigh. “Just go find Gulley while you’re at it. I don’t worry about him but the wife… I do worry. Go ease her nerves, would you?”.

Link blinked in surprise. “Didn’t he come home yesterday?”.

“He did. After the earthquake, but he ran off to play again. He must be at the meadow.”.

“I’ll find him.”, promised Link. He ran to the door and left, leaving no indication of his visit behind.

“He changed.”, said the old man.

The blacksmith could only do something he did very rarely – ponder. “Have to wonder what made him so determined to pick a weapon.”.

“It suits him.”.

Mr. Nick stared at his partner before answering. “Aye. It does.”.

* * *

 

Minutes later Link was standing at the entrance of the meadow, going completely unnoticed by Mr. Lily who was standing a few feet ahead of him. She was too busy looking for Gulley. “You-hoooo! Gulley? It’s time to come home…!”.

_That’s quite the early curfew_ , thought Link; it was only mid-morning. Then again, it was probably for the best.

Mrs. Lily received no answer to her call. “What, he’s not here? He must be playing somewhere nearby.”. In Link’s mind, by “nearby” she meant the meadow.

Link cut down the bushes that blocked the entrance to the small meadow – they formed an arrow that pointed outside, strangely enough – and ran to the middle of the clearing. That tree stump that stood there right in the middle was there for as long as he could remember, and yet it had not undergone any changes in the last years. Not only the tree was not growing back – not even mold grew on it. For a plant to remain untouched by nature…

The tree stump was surrounded by the small animals of the meadow – rabbits, birds and squirrels – as if they were paying some sort of homage to it. It was highly unusual for animals to behave that way, but a regular occurrence here. They fled once Link got close.

On the tree stump laid a pouch.

Link picked it up to examine it. It was a bit small but it was made of sturdy leather, and it had a belt attacked to it. There were also two small pockets in the front. A small green gem the colour of a rupee decorated the button.

“Oh, Link!”.

The boy turned around. “Mrs. Lily!”.

“Have you seen Gulley in here? W-wait! Did you just find that pouch?”.

“Um, yes…”.

“Oh, my stars!”, she exclaimed distressed. “Gulley had that!”.

“This is Gulley’s?!”.

“I made it for you so you could carry more items – it’s one of the magic ones. But he insisted on being the one who gave it to you.”, she explained. “Strange, I wonder if he’s back home already…”.

“He isn’t.”, replied Link, a sense of dread slowly creeping in his chest. “I was there just now.”.

“Then… If you found the pouch here, then where is my Gulley? Oh, how awful!”. She looked at the verge of crying. “I had better tell my husband. I’m sure we can find him somehow. We HAVE to!”.

“Mrs. Lily…”.

“But please – you should use that pouch so I won’t have to worry about YOU quite as much!”.

The woman left the meadow almost running, and Link was left to stare at her back. “Gulley…”. He shook his head, to clear all the worried thoughts. _He’s Gulley. He’ll be fine. I have other things to do than worry about him._

He looked down at his new pouch. _A magic pouch, huh?_ Magic pouches were not all that hard to make, and they were extremely useful – they could hold anything, no matter what the size, and they made all the cargo feel weightless. Link placed his bow and his lantern in it, and tied it to his waist. It was quite comfortable too. _I must thank Mrs. Lily later._ , he thought impressed.

Link took off with a running start and left the meadow, passing in front of his house – he did not even think to check up on Ravio – and headed to the bridge of the Eastern Palace. He was glad he took his time to memorize the route to the Zora’s Domain earlier that morning.

“Whoa! Hold up a second, greenie! Yeah, I’m talking to you! Someone else wearing the green hat?”.

Said greenie stopped dead on his tracks. He searched around frantically. Who in the world was shouting? There was no one in sight! As if on cue, a shadow appeared above the bridge, growing bigger and bigger…

In front of him stood a witch. More precisely, she was floating with the aid of her broom. It was a girl same age as he, with dark purple hair in a pixie cut and red eyes. She was wearing a pair of green earrings, an oversized black pointed hat with a yellow ribbon and a black dress. _Wow, talk about stereotypes._

“Who are you?”.

“Who am I?”, she quoted. “Haven’t you heard of me? I’m Irene, best witch of my generation! Still a junior witch, but whatever.”.

“Yeah.”.

“All right. Get this. I had my fortune told this morning, right? And I was told I’d soon be visited by disaster. DISASTER!”.

“Okay…”. _Why is she telling me this…?_

“But if I want to change my future, I should take care of… green. I was like, GREEN? What, I should take care of grass? I’m not moaning every lawn in Hyrule! Forget that. I’m a witch on the rise! And then you came along – and then it all made sense. I’ve got to take care of you, greenie.”.

“Eh?! Of _me_?”.

“Yes, of you! So here. Take this thing.”. Irene pulled a small bell out of her pocket. It was a simple-looking thing, but it had a nice golden colour and it was shiny.

“Thanks, but what am I supposed to do with it?”.

“Seeing those weather vanes all over the place? Just ring and I’ll fly you to any ones you found. There is a trick that wakes them up of sorts. I can show you.”.

“No need.”, replied Link with a bright grin. “I already know it.”. _Knew something good would come out of all these birds!_

“Really?”, she asked doubtfully.

“Yep; I’ve already woken up the ones at my house, Kakariko Village, the Sanctuary and the Eastern Palace.”.

“Well, that’s good.”, said Irene surprised, and a little impressed. “Normally I don’t take passengers, but I’d rather haul you all over Hyrule than face disaster.”. Link still was not quite sure what he had to do with Irene’s supposed fortune, but he was not about to complain. “Anyway, gotta fly. I have errands to run for my gram. Later!”.

She gained a bit of altitude but she stopped. “Oh, right. One more thing. My gram’s a world-class potion brewer. Her shop is behind the Eastern Palace. I’d strongly suggest you go look her up. Her potions can’t be beat. See? I’m looking out for you already, greenie.”.

She said that with a cocky but good natured smile, and Link smiled back. “Thanks a ton, Irene! I owe you!”. The little witch was already off.

_Her grandmother’s shop is on my way_ , thought Link. _I should pass by to say a hello._ Link continued on his way by the river’s shores, getting rid of any octoroks or Yuga’s soldiers. However, instead of jumping into the river, he searched behind the hill of the Eastern Palace for the witch’s shop. Much to his annoyance, the densely wooded area was full of Buzzblobs. They were monsters just like Blobs, but they were yellow in colour and could stun people with electricity. Good thing that they were so easy to avoid.

The witch’s shop was just among the trees. Link stood in front of it impressed. It was an actual tree house. Whoever had made this, they had literally took a tree, hollowed the inside, put a door in the front and called it a house. The witch had also added the skull of a bull on the door to create an atmosphere, but it was nowhere close to as intimidating as it should be. Next to the shop was a sleeping weather vane. Link woke up the pink bird, which responded with a whistle – _“Welcome to the Witch’s Shop!”_ – and walked in the tree house.

As soon as he walked in Link’s nose was assaulted by the scent of rot and dust, along with cooked ingredients. The small space was dark, only lit by two candles and the fire under the cauldron, almost blinding Link whose eyes were used to the bright sunlight outside. Once his eyes got used to the new conditions, he could make out what a mess this place was. The front part of the tiny shop was tidy, with four pots that contained colourful potions placed in a row for display. The back however was filled bursting with books and notes. It reminded Link of Sahasrahla’s house.

Right in the middle stood a witch which was most probably Irene’s grandmother, stirring a bright green liquid in the cauldron. If Link thought _Irene_ looked stereotypical, her grandmother took the cake. She was wearing her black pointed hat indoors, and she even had a hooked nose and everything. She noticed Link as soon as he entered.

“Aha! A customer? Tell me what I can do for you, child.”. Her voice was raspy with age, but she looked pretty cheerful and kind.

“Just came to say hello.”, replied Link with a polite smile.

“What a polite young man you are!”, said the witch pleasantly surprised. “And to a witch as old as I am? You don’t see that much these days.”.

Link blushed at the compliment. “I actually came here because I met your granddaughter, ma’am. She said you were a world-class potion brewer.”.

The witch laughed good-naturedly. “Ah, that girl! You must be the “green” she was told to take care of! Poor girl; she honestly thought she’d have to mown lawns for the next few years. Good to know she’s at the hands of such a fine young man.”.

By this point Link was as red as the potion on display. “She seems very nice.”.

“She is a bit cocky but she was always a good girl. But enough of Irene. What can I do for you?”.

Link thought about it for a moment. “Could you please tell me what do all those potions do?”, he asked curiously.

The witch looked really pleased with the question. “The red potion is also called the medicine of life – it can cure all sorts of physical injuries; however there is only so much it can do with the serious ones. The blue potion though, it can completely cure all injuries no matter how severe they are. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s all worth it! The yellow potion completely prevents all injury – until you digest it, it makes you invulnerable. Pretty useful for young warriors like you. And finally, there is the purple potion. That one’s a little tricky there – when you drink it, it damages all the enemies around you. Remember that if you want to buy something you must have an empty bottle; I can’t afford to hand out bottles for free.”.

“I’m afraid I don’t have one…”.

“Never you mind that; there is always next time. Here – have a sip of this red potion I’m brewing up if you’d like.”.

“You’re sure, ma’am? I should pay for it…”.

“No need to pay – it’s a free sample! Besides, you look like you could use one.”.

The witch offered a spoon to Link, who drank gratefully. To his amazement, all his scrapes from the night before instantly disappeared. “That’s amazing, ma’am!”. He then remembered the magic injury on his hand. Receiving a raised eyebrow from the witch, Link lifted his sleeve and removed the bandage. He was disappointed to see that the potion had done nothing to improve the situation.

The witch peered closer and the golden patterns that glowed under Link’s skin. “What exactly did this, young man?”.

Link decided to tell her the truth. “I was fighting a sorcerer named Yuga. He blasted me with some sort of lightning at some point. I asked Elder Sahasrahla about it but he couldn’t do anything.”.

“I’m afraid I can’t do anything either. However you shouldn’t worry about it; it may prove beneficial in the long run.”. Link looked at her taken aback. He had not thought that his injury could be a good thing.

“I must go now.”, said Link. “Thank you for all your help, ma’am.”.

“Nonsense.”, she replied with a smile. “I did nothing! Just make sure to come with a bottle next time!”.

“I will!”, replied Link. “Oh, by the way; which way is to the Zora’s Domain from here?”.

The witch blinked in surprise. “The Zora’s Domain? Just turn left when you leave the shop. There is a Zora underling standing there. You’ll need to find a way to cross over the water though.”.

“Don’t worry ma’am, I’ll figure it out. Thank you again!”.

“You’re welcome!”.

True to the witch’s word, not two steps away stood a Zora overlooking a cliff. The Zora was a green, fish-like creature that also had human anatomy. His gills – it was definitely a male – were yellow and his lips and “hair”, or the fish equivalent for it, were orange. He was naked, save for a blue cape, but he had no private parts to hide or anything. He was a _fish_.

The next cliff that placed the border of the next patch of dry land was not even three meters away, but Link could not make that jump. The two cliffs were connected with a third cliff that was solid smooth rock; yet another potion of the fortress surrounding the Eastern Palace, more than likely.

An idea came to Link’s head. He stood next to the cliff’s edge, turned into a painting, crossed the gap and popped out to the other side without breaking a sweat. He looked behind him proud of his small accomplishment, only to see the Zora gaping at him. “What a special ability!”, he praised. “That’s about as special as they come!”. _Wow, I’m receiving compliments all the time today!_

Link continued on his way though the only available path, as he was climbing up the Eastern Palace hill. He spotted a treasure chest on a crevice and using his wall-merging ability he reached it and opened it. Inside was a red rupee.

Returning to his original course, Link reached the waterfall at the side of Death Mountain – whoever had named this place must have been a _really_ morbid character – behind which hid the cave of the Zora’s Domain. The river here was shallow enough for Link to walk in it with no problem. _That was easier than I thought._

A man slammed into him.

A blond man with a hooked nose and a flamboyant haircut, drenched to the bone, slammed into him. Link was the first to recover from the fall. “Youch!”, shouted the man. “Watch where you’re going!”.

“I’m not the one who’s running around not watching where he’s going!”, protested Link.

“Wait a second. I’ve seen you. Aren’t you that kid who was hanging out in the village? Well – whatever! Outta my way!”. The man took off like a bolt, leaving Link gawking at his speed.

“The queen, the queen!”. The blond boy turned to the waterfall, where the voice came from. “Please help, somebody! HELP!”.

“The Zoras!”. Link ran into the cave, getting drenched. He came to a halt.

_What. The. HELL._ Inside the Zora’s version of a throne room, in the Royal Pool was a HUMONGOUS green… female… thing mewling incoherently.

The three Zora Guards were freaking out. “The queen is in a sea of trouble! We’ve got to do something!”.

“But what? That guy doesn’t even KNOW all the trouble he just caused! It’s getting worse by the second! I can’t believe that guy came in and stole the smooth gem right out from under our gills!”.

“That finless jerk probably thought it was just some sparkly thing! But the queen needs it to contain her power! Without that smooth gem, our queen will keep-!”.

Right on cue, the queen grabbed a fish from the purple water of her pool and _swallowed_ it whole. For an instance her spastic trembling stopped, and to everyone’s horror she grew even BIGGER. She started bouncing after that.

“She’ll keep bloating up!”, finished the Zora.

“But our poor queen…”.

“We’ve got to get that smooth gem back, or else!”.

Link finally had enough. “Then stop freaking out and **DO something**!”.

The Zoras jumped out of their skin – um, scales. “When did you get here?!”.

“Just now! Now stop your arguing and go get that gem!”.

“We can’t stay out of water for long!”, cried one Zora.

His fellow guard seemed to have regained his temper. “Please, stranger! Can you get the queen’s smooth gem back? We’ve got to get it back to her pool before all is lost!”.

“You must have seen that guy run out with the queen’s smooth gem, right?”, asked another Zora. Link nodded. “We’ve GOT to get it back! Stranger, if you were to see a big, gleaming, golden gemstone, bring it back here. I’m sure you’d get a nice reward!”.

 “But I’ve never heard of a stone like that before! Where am I supposed to find it?”.

“The smooth gem is rarer that rare!”, said the third Zora – it was the first time Link had heard him speak. “Someone could get a high price for that. Hmm… If anyone was going to make off with that stone, WE should’ve done it first. Gah – what am I thinking? I can’t let the queen hear that sort of talk! ”. _How loyal._

“Got it – I’ll get it back!”.

Link left the cave and took out the small golden bell from his pouch. The sound the bell made reminded Link of crystal – it was that pretty. Almost instantly, Irene showed up.

“Hey, nice bell-ringing there. You’re a natural!”.

“Thanks!”.

“So, where to?”, she asked.

“Kakariko Village. Then it’s back to your grandmother’s shop.”.

Irene raised an eyebrow at him. “You need my help with an errand, huh?”.

“Some shady guy stole a gemstone and now the Zora queen is bloating like a balloon.”.

“Wow, sounds like a mess. And what do YOU have to do with it?”.

“Wish I knew…”.

“Fine, I’ll carry you around. Hold tight so you don’t fall. See? I’m looking out for you big time!”. Link grabbed the edge of her broom and she flew off.

Link could only marvel at the sight of Hyrule getting smaller under his feet. “Wow… I’ve never seen anything like this.”. Just a short ride, and yet he could make out the entire Eastern Palace complex, the river, Hyrule Castle, the meadow Gulley usually plays in, Kakariko village, and even his own house looked no bigger than an orange. It did not matter how cold he was getting from being exposed to the cool breeze while drenched – the view alone took away everything.

“Pretty cool, huh Greenie?”, replied Irene, smirking at his awestruck look. “You don’t get to see _this_ every day! Consider yourself lucky my fortune said to take care of you!”.

“Believe me, I do. By the way, I never told you my name.”.

Irene blinked. “Oh right, you didn’t… So, what’s your name?”.

The boy smiled. “It’s Link.”.

Such a bright smile from a pretty cute boy that played the hero… Irene blushed. “I like Greenie better!”, she said turning around sharply.

“Um, something wrong?”, asked Link confused.

“Nope.”.

A couple of minutes later, to Irene’s relief, they had reached the village. She got her broom close to the Weather Vane and ignoring the strange looks from all the villagers, she let Link to drop unceremoniously to the ground. Link stretched his arm a little, as it had grown sore from hanging from the edge of the broom. “Hold on a second.”, he said, going to mission mode. “I need to find that thief.”.

“What? YOU again?! You banged into me at the Zora cave!”. And so everybody in a ten meters radius watched as the blond man made a ran for his life.

“And… that’s our culprit. Got to run!”. And so Link started chasing after him.

Before long it became quite clear that Link would not catch up to the thief any time soon. He did not know whether it was the fear of being caught that caused this, or something else, but the man’s speed was _unnatural_. There was only one thing left to do.

Link returned to the village, hid behind a house and waited for the thief to return.

Sure enough, a few minutes later the Shady Guy returned to the village looking both alarmed and relieved at the same time, obviously thinking that he was clear. _How wrong he is…_

Silently praying that nobody would notice, Link turned into a painting and sneaked up behind the thief. He came up with a pop, and a falsely polite grin.

“Hello.”.

“Who’s there?!”, his jaw practically dropped once he recognized Link. “Y-y-you! Where’d you come from?”.

Link could not help but mess with his head a little. “Behind you.”.

“B-but there’s only a wall here!”.

“I know.”.

“That makes no sense…”.

“Neither you stealing that smooth gem.”, said Link sternly.

“S-sorry…”, apologized the man awkwardly. Link was pretty sure that he was extremely uncomfortable with being caught red-handed.

“That stone is a precious treasure to the Zora queen.”, said Link with a softer tone. “She needs it to contain her power. She’s bloating like a balloon back in the Zora cave!”.

“Huh? I had no idea that stone was that precious.”. The thief looked genuine sorry now. “I knew that gemstone would fetch a high price. I-I’m sorry. I already sold it. To that guy over there.”. He pointed to a turban-wearing street merchant who had laid a carpet and his merchandise in the middle of the street. “I already spent all the money I got from selling that darn stone. I couldn’t help taking it. My boots help me run so fast that I’ve been stealing everything that isn’t nailed down!”.

_That explains all the thieving incidents as of late…_ , thought Link to himself. “Wait, your boots? They’re magical?”.

“Yup, they’re called the Pegasus Boots.”, confirmed the Thief. Sure enough, each boot had a pair of small wings attached to each heel. “It can make anyone who wears break into a mad dash!”.

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive.”, replied Link.

“Yeah, I like them… But here, you take these boots.”.

“Eh? Why me?”.

“I can tell you won’t abuse their power. I hope they fit. They’re kinda small for my feet anyway.”.

“But- You’ll go around barefoot?”.

“Hey, I have another pair of shoes in my pouch.”. Link had a pretty good idea where that second pair had come from. “Those boots take some getting used to, but you’ll figure it out. Just don’t put too much force on your step. That gets them going.”. The man handed over his boots to a stupefied Link.

“Thanks.”. He smiled at the embarrassed thief. He was not a bad guy after all. He just had his own weaknesses, just like everyone else.

Link bid a goodbye and after tucking his new boots on his pouch to try them on later, he headed to the merchant with the turban. The guy had apparently come from somewhere south of Hyrule a few months earlier, and it was pretty obvious that he would stay here for as long as he had customers. He did not have many of those, but the man practically bought and sold everything so he did have an income.

As soon as he approached, the merchant made a point of advertising his new products. “Good news! I have some new stock that may interest you. Please come have a look.”. Link did as told. As expected, the smooth gem was sparkling and proudly on display. “Have you seen this rare stone? Smoother than silk! Go on! Feel it! Just touching such treasure will make your skin happy all over! Ah, yes! A gemstone of remarkable quality. Smooth as silk! And for you, only two hundred rupees! Interested, my friend?”.

Link inwardly cringed at the price, but he should have expected it. He was already told many times that the stone was quite expensive. He handed over two silver rupees anyway.

“This treasure is yours, my friend!”. A jolt went through Link’s skin as soon as he touched it. It was _so smooth_. Unimaginably so. Link had never understood why girls liked jewels so much – or girls in general – but it was no wonder the Zora queen needed this. Even Link was very reluctant to take it off his hands. He had to give the merchant credit for being willing to sell it.

Link nodded his thanks to the merchant. “Thank you! Come back soon.”.

With that errand done, Link ran back to the waiting Irene. “Sorry for the wait. This took longer than I thought it would.”.

“Nah, it’s fine.”, replied Irene. “I wonder how big the Zora queen has gotten. Bet she’s as big as a house!”.

Link remembered the image of the green behemoth swallowing that poor fish. “I really don’t want to know…”.

“You’ll find out either way.”.

“Don’t remind me…”.

* * *

 

“I’m back!”, announced a panting Link to the Zora underlings.

“Wait, stranger!”, yelled one of the guards. “Do you have the queen’s smooth gem?”.

“Yup.”, replied Link proudly.

“Throw it in the pool – hurry!”.

Link did as told, but he first took a moment to observe the queen. In contrast to his earlier fears, she was barely larger than before, and her whole posture betrayed exhaustion. Her head was slumped on her shoulder, her eyes were unfocused and her breathing was heavy. Whether this was the result of the guards’ efforts or the trashing from earlier, he did not know, but he doubted it was the former. The water of her pool was a sickly-looking, purple colour that strongly resembled poison.

Link carefully placed the smooth gem in the tiny pool – he almost winced at the loss of the silky sensation against his skin.

The effect was instantaneous.

The water, from dark purple turned into a creamy golden colour, the exact same shade with the stone. Once the colour changed, the queen started trashing around once again, but her eyes widened in shock. A golden glow came from within and overwhelmed her. She vanished with a pop, splashing everyone in proximity.

“She’s gone!”, Link exclaimed shocked. He had spoken too soon. Seconds later, bubbles emerged from the water and a new figure burst out of the pool with a delighted moan. The glow subsidized completely to reveal… the Queen of the Zora people.

The sight of her was the closest thing the Zoras could achieve to beauty. Her face, instead of resembling a fish like the other members of her species did, it was shaped like a hylian’s, with elegant features befitting of royalty. Her figure was slim but with also curvy like any other woman. She was wearing a floor-length yellow and orange skirt that matched the colours of the fins on her head; it hugged her hips in a flattering manner. She was also wearing a bikini top made large sea sells. From the same material was the tiara with the bleu sapphire that rested on her scalp, as well as her necklace and bracelets. Like all Zoras, her scales were emerald green and her stomach was white, but even more colour was added by the pink eyeshade and lipstick that she wore.

“Th-the queen!”, stammered one of the guards. “The bloating has stopped!”.

The Zora Queen either did not notice, or deliberately ignored him. She turned her black eyes to Link. “Are you the one who helped me?”. Her voice was deep but melodious.

Link knew it would be rude not to reply. “Yes, your Majestly.”.

“Thanks to you, I am free of my pool. That was all rather undignified.”. Her tone clearly suggested how ashamed she was by the whole affair. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Oren, Queen of the Zoras. May I ask your name, young man?”.

“It’s Link, Queen Oren.”.

“Well, Link… I don’t know how I came to rely on that troublesome smooth gem. But I do need it, so I thank you deeply. I am filled with gratitude. Please take these, won’t you?”.

A quick magic spell later – Link consciously tried not to flinch – and he was now the proud owner of a pair of flippers. The pair resembled something between shoes and frog feet in their shape, and they seemed to match Link’s size perfectly. The colour was a nice deep blue with some lighter shades, and it was made of a ruby material that he was unable to indentify. Quite frankly, Link had never seen such a thing before. He gazed at Queen Oren questioningly.

“These are the Zora flippers.”, she explained with a smile. “They will allow you to swim and dive, so you may travel the rivers and roam the lakes. You don’t need to worry about putting them on and removing them. If you wear them right now, they will only appear when you need to swim.”.

“Thank you, Queen Oren!”, Link exclaimed with obvious excitement. This was _just_ what he needed!

“You’re quite welcome.”, she replied, laughing softly at his eagerness. “But my Zoras do consider that their territory, and while I tell them to get along with people… I have to admit, they just don’t listen. So be careful out there.”. Link acknowledged her concern with a serious nod. It was the issue he and Sahasrahla were talking about earlier that morning. He hid his snickering when he saw how bashful the guards were at their queen’s indirect scolding.

With another “thank you”, Link greeted Queen Oren and jogged out of the Zora domain.

* * *

 

Link had NO IDEA how to swim.

Sure, he did know what swimming is – how could he possibly _not_ know. However, just because he was given the Zora flippers from Queen Oren, that did not mean that all of the sudden he was a master swimmer.

The first attempt was rewarded with a spectacular head-first splat! that resulted to a five-mintute long, pounding headache. The second attempt was Link waving around frantically trying not to get drowned. The third attempt was him hanging from the shore for dear life. The fourth time he tried to turn into a painting instead. He then realized that this would most probably be a very, _very_ bad idea. He spent the next five minutes walking up and down in the shallow waters.

He decided that putting on the Pegasus Boots was a very bad idea.

Honestly, Link was wondering where all this stubbornness was coming from. So far he did not have any difficulty doing the tasks that had been assigned to him – not this sort of difficulty, at the very least. He sat down by the shore and started thinking.

To be honest with himself, Link had no idea how he had managed to progress up to this point, by that meaning that he managed to go through the Eastern Palace mostly unscathed, and more or less defeat Yuga in a one-on-one duel; for as long as Yuga was “playing” fairly, at least. Even the late night match against Yuga’s conjured soldiers had not been a question of _how_ to do it. Seriously, why was he having such difficulty with the Zora flippers? It was just another magic item, for Farore’s sake! He was using quite a few of these already! Those flippers should not be this much of a problem.

With a renewed air of resolve, Link took a deep breath and decided to go with the flow.

The hylians did not know what they were missing on.

The water was _amazing_. The cool sensation of the water engulfing every inch of his skin was unlike anything he had experienced in the past. A regular bath did not hold a candle to this. Jovially, almost _instinctively_ , Link dived in and touched the riverbed, watching his puffy hair dance around him and gathering the sparkling rupees he found half buried under the mud. He emerged from the water, his hair and clothes sticking on him like glue, feeling more energized than ever.

Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Link dove down the sparkling waterfall, laughing all the way down in spite of the waterfall being several meters long. What an honour it was, to be allowed to swim in Hyrule’s crystal waters! No wonder the Zora’s wanted to keep the all to themselves.

“You are not allowed here, stranger!”. And he was promptly attacked by a fireball.

“Hey!”, protested Link. “Why did you attack me?”.

“The fireball didn’t burn him?!”.

Link stared at the baffled Zora. “Of course not. I’m _drenched_.”.

“Anyway stranger, hylians are not allowed in these waters.”.

He should have seen this coming… “I got permission from your Queen.”, said Link with a sigh, motioning to the Zora flippers.

The Zora did not seem to recognize the item. “You must be lying!”.

“I’m not! And why are attacking any random guy you see around? Why can Zoras shoot fireballs in the first place?!”.

They both realized what he had just asked. “I… have no idea.”.

“You Zoras are impossible…”.

“Say that to that other guy.”.

Link’s look turned questioning. “What other guy?”.

“Some weirdo over there.”, replied the aquatic creature, pointing to the general direction of the west. “He just climbed down the cliff one day and now he’s spending his days under the bridge of Hyrule Castle. Get him off there!”.

“Eh?”.

“I said: Get. Him. Off. There. I don’t want to deal with him. Go find him and kick him out of our river! GO!”.

Link gave a sigh. That Zora most probably would not let him to leave did he not promise to chase that mysterious man off the river. Honestly, he did _not_ have the time for detours! “I’ll find him.”, he said.

“Finally, someone who’ll do it!”, bellowed the Zora.

“Hey, no promises!”. The Zora did not give notice. With a sigh Link resigned himself to his fate of endless running around aimlessly and searched for the nearest dock.

* * *

 

Problem was, even though the river _did_ technically lead to Lake Hylia, various natural obstacles such as rocks made it impossible to just swim there. Link would have to cross the Eastern Palace wasteland anyway, and then jump into the river again to finally reach Lake Hylia. Passing by Hyrule Castle was not that much of a detour. The river, which served as a trench, was a surprisingly safe place to swim.

Apparently, the man who lived underneath the bridge thought the same thing.

He was a somewhat burly man who stood a head taller than Link, with straight blond hair parted in the middle and blue eyes. He wore a brown poncho with a simple orange pattern, and he had set a simple brown tend between the two pillars that kept the northern part of the bridge stand – it was a patch of grass standing above the river. There was a dock there. Weird. Why would anyone out a dock under a bridge?

Regardless, even though the man himself did not appear to be all that unusual, his company filled that bit for him. The man was practically surrounded by small birds in yellow, pink and blue colours. One of them was even sitting on his head. They all flew away once Link approached.

“Wh-what gives?”, protested the man, with a surprisingly soft voice. “I was playing with those birds! You don’t like my feathered friends?”.

Link stared at the man surprised. He sure did not expect this demeanor. The bird lover’s voice was shaded with the same disappointment that a little kid felt at being robbed of their toy, and his cheeks were tinged pink in a very obvious blush. Link suddenly felt very guilty, as if he had stolen candy from a baby or something. “I like birds.”, he replied weakly.

The bird lover nodded. “The joyful way they fly around always lifts my spirits. I’d love to fly just once.”. Link nodded, remembering the incredible view from Irene’s broom.

Link laid on the grass to take a breath. Now that he thought about it, it was very peaceful here.

“You need something?”, asked the bird lover, a little rudely.

“Nothing.”, replied Link, his promise to the Zora from earlier forgotten – or rather, ignored.

“Hmm… You came to such an out-of-the-way place for no reason?”. Link did not reply. The man eyed him wearily. “You know, this bottle washed up here a little ways back. And now you come on by. Exciting day for me! TOO much excitement, I gotta admit. I like things to stay nice and simple. Just me and the birds here. So do me a favour.”. The bird lover reached for something inside his tent and handed it to Link. “Take this bottle with you. It’ll do my nerves good.”.

Link eyed the bottle. It was a simple glass bottle, but it was the perfect size to fill it with the potions of Irene’s grandmother. A free bottle! “Thanks.”, said Link. And he left.

The route to the House of Gales was short after that.


	5. House of Gales

The guarding place of the second of the three Pendants of Virtue, the Pendant of Wisdom, was standing on a small island on the north of Lake Hylia. The House of Gales was by all means an old, stone windmill, battered by the weather. It was nowhere as intimidating as the Eastern Palace, however, it rivaled its size with ease.

As Link partially expected – and hoped for – there was a sleeping weather vane and two stone columns in front of the wooden ladder that was supposed to be the front gate. Thankfully, said stone columns were much shorter than the ones at the Eastern Palce, and it did not take much effort for Link to climb on them. He carefully observed the mark. It looked like a green rod of sorts, with two leaves on it. Link had no idea what it was supposed to be. _Well, I can always ask Ravio._

Thinking of the money in his wallet, Link woke up the weather vane and then brought out his bell. Right on queue, Irene showed up, looking more than just a little irritated. “I hope you appreciate this. You know I’ve got I’ve got a life on my own, right? Things to do? Places to fly?”.

“Sorry…”, apologized Link. “Just to my house and then back, honest.”.

“Huh?! You forget stuff in your house? You better have a good reason for this!”.

“Well, I have a… guest…”.

“Oh, so you want to attend to your guest now, huh? Bet they’re really gonna appreciate a drenched to the bone host-”.

“Hey, he’s a magic weapons’ merchant!”, snapped Link. “I kinda _need_ his stuff!”.

“A magic weapons’ merchant?!”, echoed a gawking Irene. “Do you always have guests like that?”.

“Not normally…”.

Still incredulous, Irene let Link hold on her broom again. “Well, it looks like you’re having a rough slog, so no problem.”, she relented.

“Thanks, Irene!”, beamed Link, looking forward to experience flight again.

“Hmm!”, scoffed Irene. “You’d better not catch a cold there! It’d be all your fault if you do!”.

“Yes, mum.”.

“Don’t call me “mum”! Do I look like your mother to you?!”.

The arguing continued all the way long.

* * *

 

“…and so that is the reason why I’m the greatest witch of my generation!”.

“That’s you taking all your grandmother’s credit!”.

“Say what?! You’d better watch your mouth, greenie!”.

“Why, what did I say? You grandmother _is_ a great witch.”.

“You little…!”.

“Wow! Did you bring your girlfriend, Mr. Hero?”. As soon as she heard that, Irene literally fell off her broom, leaving a baffled Link hanging on by the edge of said broom a good seven feet above ground.

Irene got up with a start. “Who do you think YOU are?!”.

The one who answered her question was a purple human-sized rabbit. “Ravio, a humble merchant! At your services, miss!”.

Irene was gawking at him. “Wh- **what are you wearing?!** You look like a bunny with mental disorder!”.

“Excuse me, but I’m perfectly sane, Miss….”.

“Irene.”.

“Irene.”, replied Ravio, all cheerfulness gone. “And I’ll have you know that _this_ is my business outfit, as well as the brand of my products.”.

“You call that a business outfit? _This_ is a business outfit.”, spat back Irene pointing at her dress. “It shows my status as the best witch of my generation.”.

“You don’t say…”.

“Of course I say it! That’s how it IS, Mr. Shady Bunny Merchant!”. _Did she even get the sarcasm?_ , wondered Link, who had gotten off the broom.

“Well, at the very least I’m _original_. You look as stereotypical as a witch gets.”.

“ _Stereotypical_?! Don’t you dare you insult me!”.

Ravio turned to Link. “Geez, is your girlfriend always so brass, Mr. Hero?”, he asked with a dry voice while pointing at her.

Link just stared at him. “What made you think that she’s my girlfriend?”.

“You see, she’s carrying you on her broom and everything so I thought that maybe the two of you were a thing!”.

“Whaaat?”, bellowed Irene.

“Nope.”, stated Link. “I only met her this morning. Anyway Ravio, I want to see if you have something I need.”.

“Right away, Mr. Hero!”, replied Ravio in his usual over-the-top cheery manner. Link followed the purple-clad in his home, ignoring Irene’s giggles at the embarrassing nickname.

He managed to pick up his jaw before it fell on the ground. He took a few deliberately slow steps, looking around him wide-eyed. “Ravio… What did you do to this place?”.

“I still haven’t found anywhere else to stay.”, explained Ravio holding his hands together in an earnest manner. “So I spruced things here.”. _Obviously._

Link’s house now held little resemblance to its original décor. Somehow Ravio had managed to “move” – more like turn upside down; _How had he managed that?!_ – all the furniture and push them to the walls, and then with the extra pace he had placed plenty of wooden crates in a Π shape, thus making the makeshift tables. He had then proceeded to cover them with white tablecloths. Finally, Ravio had used said tables to put his merchandise on display.

The purple bunny with his pet thing were now throwing a little, but perfectly synchronized dance. “I’ve made it into a nice little shop for myself. Pretty great, isn’t it?”.

“Good for you, Ravio. Good for you…”.

The unusually let down tone did not go unnoticed by the merchant. “So… I take it that things didn’t go as planned? You _were_ missing for almost a full day.”.

His reply was bitter. “Osfala was a prick.”.

“Eh?”.

“After I told Princess Zelda, she sent me to the Elder to seek advice, but then _he_ sent me to the Eastern Palace to pick up his apprentice, Osfala. That’s why I showed up later asking for a bow.”. Ravio nodded in understanding. “I _did_ manage to catch up to Osfala and warn him about Yuga – that’s the name of the guy who turns people into paintings – but he didn’t listen to a word I said! When I caught up with him…”.

“Yuga was already there, wasn’t he?”. It was not a question. It was a statement.

“Yeah… Next thing I know, the earthquake happened and the Elder and I went to check it out. Yuga placed a barrier around Hyrule Castle. I spent the night in Kakariko Village.”.

“I see…”.

 “What’s with the “I see…”?”, interrupted Irene. “You’re supposed to be shocked!”. She pointed an accusing finger at the surprised merchant. “Do you know that Yuga guy from somewhere, bunny? Huh?!”.

“Wh-what?! _Me_? No, of course not!”, he stammered. “I just – well, not really – no, just… It’s good to avoid those folks. Yeah, that’s all. Best avoid them. ‘Specially _him_.”.

Okay, now Ravio was acting _very_ suspicious. “Anyway… well, too bad you didn’t save that guy, isn’t it? But the item I lent you came in handy, right?”. Link chose to ignore the blatantly obvious attempt in changing the subject. He could ask all his questions later. Ravio obviously was not going anywhere. “You know… there’s actually plenty more where that came from! Ravio is ALL about helping heroes. And the way things are going, I think you’re going to need my help.”. He honestly sounded as if he had hoped to avoid that. An idea occurred to him. “You know what they say – you wash my ears, I’ll wash yours?”.

“It’s: “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”.”, deadpanned Irene. Ravio ignored her.

“How about you rent me your house… and I’ll rent you lots of items. I’ll give you a special discount.”.

Link mused on his options. At this rate, he could not kick out Ravio, and he needed his help. On the other hand… actually, scratch that. There was _no_ other hand. _Not to mention that feeling that Ravio knew more than he was letting on…_

“Fine.”.

“WHAAAT?!”, bellowed Irene for the second time.

“Then it’s a deal!”, clapped Ravio. “I mean, it’s not like you ever come here, right? All righty, then.”, said Ravio, slipping into business mode. “Here’s how my shop works. I rent a wide variety of weapons and other items to you. And the rental period? That’s the best part. You keep rentals for a LONG time. Specifically, until the next time you fall in battle. Which might never happen, right? Sure, you look tough. But if do fall in battle, my Sheerow here”, _so that’s the name of his pet_ “will swoop in to collect my property.”. Sheerow did a dive in the air once its name was mentioned, as if to perform how he would take back Ravio’s property. “Right, just like that. Swoop right in. Collect my stuff. While you… er… just lie there.”. _…So cruel…_ “So see anything you want? I’ve got plenty of gear besides the bow.”.

“What about the bow anyway?”, asked Link. “If I am defeated, will you take that too?”,

“Nope. That was for free. I just expect you to return it once you no longer need it. If you find anything you like, just tell me.”.

Link scanned the tables for the item he was looking for. A blue rod with a matching jewel, a strange device with a hook and… _Here it is!_ The strange rod he had seen depicted at the House of Gales. It had a light green handle and two thin tree leaves protruding from the top. Ravio had placed a violet bunny cap between the two leaves to mark the rod as his property. “How about this one?”, he asked the merchant.

“You interested in the Tornado Rod? We’ve got a special going today! The rental price is twenty rupees.”.

“What does it do?”, asked Link.

“You don’t even know what a Tornado Rod is?”, asked Irene, startling the two boys; they had completely forgotten about her presence. “If you activate it, it’ll lift you and everything around you in the air! Huh.”, she added as an afterthought. “Makes sense why you’ll need it at the House of Gales.”.

“You really bring out the best in my Tornado Rod, Mr. Hero!”. Link felt his cheeks turn red at the compliment. “Look at you, blushing and all. How’s that for friendly customer service?”.

Link chuckled awkwardly, much to Irene’s exasperation, and handed Ravio a red rupee. “Here you go! Oh, and by the way, Ravio…”.

“What is it?”.

“Try to rearrange those crates, okay? If everything goes according to plan, I’ll be able to visit my own house.”.

“There’s always something out there that tries to ruin plans, Mr. Hero.”, said Ravio in a foreboding tone.

“Yeah, there is.”, replied Link. Now that he was not running errands for every single species in the Kingdom, the tragedy of the Eastern Palace had the liberty to hit him with full force. He shook his head and called out to Irene. “Well, it’s time to get going.”.

“See you next time!”, came Ravio’s farewell.

Link sent his way a small wave, and then he with Irene took their positions on the still floating magic broom.

“What’s the deal with this bunny?!”, complained Irene once they were in a fair distance. “He’s way too shady, if you ask me! And you let him _live_ in _your house_? Are you out of your mind?”.

Link could not really argue with that. “I’m pretty sure he’s got his reasons… Besides, I really do owe him one, so… letting him stay is sort of a… repayment? Yeah, that.”.

“What do you mean, you “owe him one”?”.

“He dragged me back to my house after the whole mess in the Sanctuary…”.

“What mess?”.

“That Yuga guy…”, started explaining Link “showed up at the Sanctuary and transformed both the Captain of the Royal Guard and Seres into paintings. I tried to stop him, but he knocked me out… Next thing I know, Ravio was checking up on me in my house.”.

“Awfully good timing, if you ask me! And how did he know where your house is anyway?”.

Now Link felt the need to defend his new roommate. “He said it looked empty.”.

“Empty? It didn’t look empty to me! And what kind of person just barges into empty houses?”. To that, Link had no answer.

“Anyway…”, said Link, trying to change the subject. “ I have to barge into an empty house on my own.”.

Irene was skeptical. “The House of Gales, empty. Yeah, right.”.

* * *

 

The front gate was locked tightly with rusty yet heavy and sturdy iron bars. That was the first thing that Link noticed once he took a closer look to the House of Gales. There was simply no way he could lift that. He started pondering on the hint given by the windmill itself. How was the Tornado Rod supposed to help him in this situation? Was he supposed to… create a gust of wind that would lift the gate or something? He doubted that would work.

_No harm in trying_ , thought Link. He stood on the stepping stones in front of the gate – perfectly flat and carved to be identical and symmetrical, with not a single hint or mold or any other sort of decay on them – and brought out his Tornado Rod from the front pocket of his new pouch. Link had made a point of placing it there for easy access, just as he had done with the bow. He raised it high above his head, and activated it in the same way he did with his bracelet. To his amazement, the leaves of the Tornado Rod started whirling like an extremely fast version of the windmill whilst emanating a green light, effectively lifting him twice his height in the air. The powerful gust of wind also lifted the stepping stones under him. Beneath one of them, was a red button switch.

_Well, good to know I won’t have to lift the gate_ , thought Link with a smile. He stepped on the switch and as expected, the bars were lifted. The blond boy looked at his new weapon appreciatively. “I have a feeling that I’m really going to like you.”. With no further ado, he stepped into the House of Gales.

The interior of the House of Gales, much like the exterior, was entirely made of brownish rocks that were carefully placed together to create smooth and solid walls, floors and ceiling. So far Link had not seen of any decoration, with the only odd thing on the walls beings the glass lanterns that were for inexplicable reasons lit up. As, for the first room in itself, it was the definition of barren, with nothing but a few pots right ahead of him. The walls were not connected to the ceiling, he noticed.

_There has to be a switch here_ , he thought, and proceeded to break the pots. Sure enough, underneath one of them there was a red switch identical to the one outside. Link stepped on it, causing something above his head to activate, accompanied by a whirling sound and a change in the air currents. Link lifted his head to inspect the wall behind him and see what had changed.

It was a pair of rusty metal mechanisms very similar to the wings of the windmill and the leaves of the Tornado Rod. The switch had caused them to activate and start spinning, creating a stable gust of wind to the opposite direction. Those… air propellers were twice his height in the wall, but Link knew from his earlier use of the Tornado Rod that he would have no problem to reach that spot. However he still had his doubts. Could something such as air be strong enough to lift him above ground?

It turned out that it was. The streams of wind coming from the propellers gently allowed him to float to the opposite direction on the next level of the room, where the door was. Now Link could see that there were brown masks identical to the ones from the Eastern Palace hanging on the walls. Link pondered on the new development.

He had always know that air could move things – even blind people could feel their hair moving and their clothes being lifted up when the weather desired so. It was also obvious that wind could move very heavy objects like the wings of a windmill. But… movement creating wind? Strong enough wind to lift a person off the ground? _That_ was something he had never heard of before, much less seen. _“The House of Gales is the guarding place of the Pendant of Wisdom.”_ , Sahasrahla had told him. Wisdom… Science. The House of Gales was a physics puzzle. A windmill with an extremely effective air conditioning system.

_This,_ thought Link with a wide grin – not that he had ever been the scholarly type – _is going to be FUN_.

The next room was infested with Rats and Keese. Keese were some sort of monster bats, that were different from each other depending on their environment. Regular Keese, like these ones, looked like yellow bats with yellow ears, and did not have any special abilities. Link fell on his knees and dispatched the rats, and then he stood back to his full height and did the same with the Keese – a trickier ordeal by far. Who knew that those things were so fast?

The floors of the room were divided in three, no, _four_ different levels – top level was metal fence painted green. The floor in most places did not have any contact with the walls, thus creating multiple bottomless pits. He noticed that there was one door on the fourth level in his left, one locked door on the second lever, and another one on the first in his right, with a crystal orb switch in front of it. The whole room was filled with switches, and there was a HUGE air propeller right in the middle of the room, completely still. _I need to find a way to activate that thing,_

Link was currently on the second level. He could not go to the door to the first level because there was no way back up, even with the Tornado Rod. Instead he decided to inspect the rest of the second level for anything he had missed. As he ran to the back of the room, Link noticed that there was a staircase that led to the first level – he kept a mental note of that – and two unlit torches. Remembering the small riddle from the hidden passage to the Sanctuary, Link brought out his lantern and lit them both up. In response, a small treasure chest fell from the ceiling. Link opened it, and found a red rupee. “Not what I was hoping for…”. He put it in his wallet nonetheless.

With that done, Link went down the stairs and say that the door of the first level was not actually a door, but just an arch that passed beneath the second level. His head started hurting. Why had the architecture of this place have to be so complicated? He activated the crystal orb switch he had noticed earlier and in response the wall on the east side of the room was lowered, revealing a new exit on the second level. Link returned to the second level, used his wall-merging ability, and went through the new exit.

The gate behind him shut firmly. _A trap_! As if to confirm his thoughts, the three human skulls in the middle of the room suddenly burst into flame and lifted themselves up in the air. Bubbles. That was the name of the flaming human skulls, in reference to the way they floated around aimlessly. As ridiculous as the name was, just like all undead creatures Bubbles were notorious for one thing – they were almost indestructible. “How am I supposed to destroy a flaming skull?!”, complained Link, dodging said “projectile”. _Take out the flames_ , said a little voice in his head. _Smash it before it rekindles._

Link took the advice to heart. With the help of his Tornado Rod, he took out the flames one by one, rendering the act of flying impossible. Just like he had done with the Stalfos the day before, Link took extra care to make sure the bones turned into dust. He did NOT want those things to come back to “life”. In reward of his efforts, a treasure chest fell from the ceiling, between the three warrior statues. Link was glad these were not Armos – if he had to defeat three Armos and three Bubbles at once, he would be doomed. Inside the chest, there was a key.

_I can unlock the door on the second level now._ He promptly did so.

“What’s with these places and bottomless pits?!”. The room was not a collection of corridors with a bottomless pit; it was a bottomless pit with the occasional patches of floor that stood in two levels. A large red box was floating around in the room in such a height that it completely blocked Link’s view from whatever was behind it. Link spotted a treasure chest to his right, just beyond his reach, but he also noticed a more urgent matter. Baris. A Bari was a monster that resembled a jellyfish, except that it had yellow menacing eyes, and it could float. Even though they would never directly assault someone, Baris could also cause powerful electrical shocks upon contact with any foe, and their abilities depended on their colour. These ones fortunately were green – they did not have any secret abilities to be wary of.

Link was quick to determine that the best way to get rid of those Baris was his bow and he immediately followed with four well aimed arrows. He then merged with the incoming floating box to use it as a means of transportation and reach the treasure chest. Inside, there was a compass. _Good. Now I’ll know where the other locked doors are_. After placing the magic compass in his pouch, he merged with a second red box he found to reach the staircase that would lead him to the second level. Link got _on_ the first box and finally reached the exit. That was when he spotted a red switch. He pressed it, and to his surprise an air propeller activated at the other side of the room, connecting the two doors with a steady stream of wind. _Perhaps I’ll need that later._

As expected, the new exit was in fact the one he had spotted earlier, on the metal fence that was the fourth level of the second room. Link took care of the Red Bari that roamed there, and ignoring the two Biris – tiny Baris – that popped out, and pressed the red switch on the fence. An air propeller activated at the south side of the room. He then activated the crystal orb switch.

The giant air propeller in the middle of the room was finally active.

From where he was Link noticed a new exit on the fourth level. The new room was a tiny chamber with a bottomless pit, with metal poles that were crawling with Rats. Link now had to balance on a thin pole while making sure that he would not meet his doom. He really started to hate the architect. He reached the other side of the chamber and saw that he was back to the room with the moving boxes. Link turned into a painting and crossed the other side where a treasure chest rested. He opened it. Inside, there was a silver rupee. He then used the stream of wind from earlier to reach the exit again. He was back on the metal fence.

Quick on his feet, Link jumped right on the giant propeller.

* * *

 

**“Wahoo!”.**

The ride to the second floor – hard to believe he had been on the first floor all this time – was _great_. Link had laughed all the way up, with the cool wind tickling him under his still somewhat wet clothes.

Link had landed on a square platform with two gaps on it, one of the, being the one he had just come from, locating nothing but a few pots in his immediate surroundings. _Seriously, what’s with all the pottery in these places?_ Link quickly got rid of the Keese that came his way and then looked for a way out.

The platform he was on was connected with a sturdy metal fence which led to a staircase which in turn led to the lower level. That was good. The problem was that there was a large metal spiked bar that was rolling up and down the fence for no apparent reason. Link used his Tornado Rod to jump over it.

Once he was done with all that,                Link smashed the nearby pottery and found yet another one of those red floor switches. He stepped on it and the sound of its activation was immediately followed by the tinkling of a small key landing on… a completely random pole at the wall of the other side of the room. _Now to figure out how to get it…_ Link ran over there to find a way to get to the key, going down the stairs to the lowest level in the process, but all he found was a door to the next room. Without any other alternative, as the other door he had spotted was locked, he stepped through.

Link was immediately greeted by a swarm of Popos and a Keese. Honestly, how in the world did all those things survive in this environment? Well, they did not survive for much longer, and then a slightly black and blue and _really_ annoyed Link took on his surroundings. It was yet another small-corridors and bottomless-pits room, but nowhere as bad as the previous ones. The platform he was in had two levels, with him being on the lowest. There was an inactive air propeller there, which most probably led to the metal fence above him, and a door that led to a new room. There was also staircase which led to a higher door to the previous room.

Taking a few seconds to decide, Link ran to the new room. Reflexively, he shielded his eyes from the incoming assault of light. He was outside.

Exhausted, Link sat on the marble balcony. Running around in the House of Gales for so long, Link had not realized how stuffy it was in there, even with all those air propellers. He calculated it to be around three o’clock or perhaps even later, and the sunlight was downright brutal. It was too hot for this season, but then again, Link had been exercising all day.

After that small break, Link examined the balcony. On his left there was a pump with two warrior statues on his right and left – Armos, his gut instinct was telling him, that would activate as soon as he pulled that pump. Not in the mood to deal with the animated statues, the boy tried to push them off the balcony, but they would not even budge. _How do they manage to jump if they are so heavy?_ Resigning himself to his fate, Link just pulled the pump and drew his sword.

He backflipped just in time to avoid the incoming assault, and then he tried to figure out how to take on those two. Normally he would not have this much trouble… but he was tired. He stuck his back to the wall and prompted the statues to follow him, slowly pushing them to the edge. It worked.

With that done, Link looked for whichever change that pump had caused, which was the presence of a large treasure chest… surrounded by two more Armos statues. _Great_ , he groaned. With yet another sigh – he was doing that a lot lately – Link opened the chest and retrieved the Big Key.

A second later he was surrounded by flames and was being attacked by the two Armos. _Okey, Armos first, then the flames_. Good think that those Armos were so stupid that they could not even think of bypassing the treasure chest and got stuck in their spots. Link defeated them one by one. Now for the flames… “The Tornado Rod!”. He pulled it from his pouch and activated it, glad that it worked like a charm. He put out all the fires for good measure.

Deciding not to test what the second pump he spotted could do – it looked like a trap to him – Link went back where he came from, and finally returned to the previous main room to retrieve that small key. Using his wall-merging ability, Link made his way to the pole and took it, glad for his small success. He jumped down and unlocked the door he had previously spotted.

As expected, this door also led outside, however instead of a balcony there was a metal fence. Connected to it was a tiny platform also made from metal fence. Link guessed that it was a platform, but it was unmoving. Across him was another metal fence balcony, and beneath that was a regular balcony with three pumps attached to the wall.

Link jumped down there and pulled the pump in the middle… only to be surrounded by three Popos. He was quick to dispatch them. He then pulled the right pump. Same thing. Finally, he pulled the last one, careful to avoid the ring of flames that was next to it for no reason, and to his pleasure, the tiny fence platform started moving. Link used his Tornado Rod to get on it, went to the second metal fence balcony – which had a locked door – and pulled the fourth pump… which resulted to him being surrounded by Popos again.

_Is there another switch somewhere around here?_ Deciding to inspect the area, Link turned into a painting, and went to the other side of the windmill, surprised to find yet another metal fence balcony – this one with a red button floor switch on it. Link pressed it, and the resounding “clang” was heard. Signaling the presence of a small key. Link went back where he came from, dispelled the flames to get the key, opened the locked door and entered.

It was a trap.

The small room was pitch black, and two sources of light appeared. Heedless. Lizard-shaped monsters with bodies armored with solid rock, able to heat themselves to such a degree that they turned their armors and any rock they touched into magma. They started moving randomly around the room, leaving flaming trails in their wake. Link put his sword in his left hand, and the Tornado Rod on his right, his experience as a blacksmith apprentice speaking for him. The only way to defeat them was to cool them down.

He approached the first Heedless and blew a gust of wind at it, cooling it down, before proceeding to smash it with his sword. He yelped in surprise when the Heedless started running around, but the boy was faster. Seconds later, the Heedless lit up again and the small race to avoid the flaming trail began again. Drenched in sweat, he went after the second Heedless, repeating the process. To reward him for his success, the door unlocked, and Link walked through.

_Oh, Nayru… This room again?!_ It was the first room he had entered when he went to the second floor, except that right now he was on its lowest level, beneath the fence with the metal spiked bar. Next to him was a door.

The new room was nothing but a bottomless pit, lots of hallways, lots of propellers, and lots of buttons. The task was to get to the next door.

Link spent the next twenty minutes wasting time floating around the room. He resolved not to mention that to anyone.

The following room did not say much. From his position, Link could only tell two staircases – one ahead and on his right. Link chose the one ahead and found a red button. Pressing that disabled two air propellers at the other side of the wall. He then went to the next staircase – which was now approachable thanks to the lack of powerful gusts of wind blocking it – and found two doors. He chose to go through the left one.

It was the correct choice. Both doors, Link discovered, led to the same room; a bottomless pit with narrow corridors. The room had two levels, multiple Keese, a lot of floor buttons, and another monster that Link had never seen before.

Eyegore. That was the name of the monster that was slightly bigger than an Armos, and just as unmoving. It resembled a green, one-eyed devil, complete with the horns. This one here was guarding a red button in front of it, but from the looks of it Link would not have to face the monster just yet.

What took priority was the crystal ball switch in the middle of the room. Link aimed an arrow at it, and in response a large air propeller at the opposite corner of the room was activated. Link the moved on to take on the Eyegore. As soon as he stepped on the platform, the Eyegore awakened and instantly turned around to chase him. Link fired an arrow. It landed on its body and shattered, leaving the monster unscathed. _Then the eye!_ The second arrow hit true, and the Eyegore was history.

Now that he thought about it, this bow was a lot more powerful than most bows, the ability to create arrows out of thin air notwithstanding. He had heard that it usually took three or four arrows to defeat an Eyegore, not just one. “Well, it is magical…”. Link pressed the button and in response a metal fence platform started making rounds above his head. _I’ll check it out later._ For now, Link turned into a painting, reached the air propeller, and used it as his ride to the third floor.

As soon as he got there he has ambushed by a swarm of Rats and Popos. Without thinking, Link made a grand, circular attack with his sword that swept the air around him like the saw with the wheat fields. All the monsters were killed instantly. Link stopped dead on his tracks and observed the massive damage around him with no small amount of shock. “Did I just… invent a new attack?”. _No. It wasn’t an invention; it was a DISCOVERY it has been PASSED DOWN_

Once again Link glanced at the damage around him, then at the sword in his hand. He was starting to scare himself. “Oh, get a grip already!”, she shouted to himself in frustration. “You’re freaking out over a stupid sword trick!”.

Link inspected the room he was in. It was small, with two air propellers at each side of the west wall, both active. Two gaps on the floor next to each other, leading to the room bellow. There was also a staircase to the south end of the room that led to a door. Seeing nothing else to do here, Link cleared the place of the remaining Rats – not that he had to; he just felt like cleaning the place – and turned into a painting to avoid being blasted into the wall by the air currents. He stepped through the door.

A trap. The door slammed closed behind him and Link found himself face to face with an instantly alert Eyegore. By reflex, Link activated the Tornado Rod, sending both himself and the green monster twirling into the air. Much to his astonishment, the Eyegore was dizzy once it landed. Link spent a few precious seconds fumbling for his bow and manage to land a hit to its eye just before it regained its sense of balance, shattering it. “That was close…”, he said trying to calm his racing heart. “Hah… Guess they aren’t used to moving around much.”.

The room was in the shape of an upside-down T, with a locked door on the north, and a new door on the west, opposing the one he had walked in through. In the middle of the room there were two torches. Link lit them up with his lantern, and the west door opened. Link placed all his items save for the Tornado Rod back into his pouch, and walked into the next room.

_Another_ trap. The room resembled a long dining room, except that instead of a carpet there was a bottomless pit, and instead of a table there was a lonely platform. Surrounded by _eight_ Bubbles, and four rotating red boxes just to get in his way. _Shit._ Not knowing any other way to face them, Link activated his Tornado Rod and jumped into the fray, hoping that it would be a sufficient shield for now. To his relief, the gust of wind was enough to put out their flames… and the affected Bubbles fell into the void. Link mentally face faulted. _Of course, you idiot! They’re_ skulls _. They can’t fly when they’re not ablaze!_ After this small discovery, the rest of the monsters were easy. Once he was done, the red boxes froze in their places, and a small treasure chest fell onto a platform. Unfortunately, even with the Tornado Rod, Link could not reach it. Deciding to retrieve its contents later, Link went to the new door – north side, leading to the east – and entered the new room.

Link honestly started thinking that the architect of this “windmill” placed the monsters there on purpose. This room was _yet another_ bottomless pit – there _had_ to be magic involved in all this, there is just _no way_ there were so many bottomless pits on _the third floor_ – and was patrolled by Baris. There were also two mini fence platforms which served no purpose whatsoever. With a heavy sigh of both tiredness and exasperation, Link pulled out his bow. “Oh well. Target practice.”. A bit of wall merging later and link was in a new room.

It was the exact same room he had started off from in the third floor. He just retrieved the silver key in the new treasure chest – how come he had not noticed it earlier? – and went back to the T-room.

_T-room?_

**_T_ ** _rap. **T** hree (doors). (Upside-down) **T**._

_Not funny._

_Is. Wait, why am I arguing with myself?!_

Link first went to the room which once housed all those Bubbles to retrieve the contents of the treasure chest he had missed earlier. It contained a purple rupee. He then went back and opened the locked door.

Huh. This door led to the room with the Baris, only that this time he had access to the two platforms. Link used them in combination with the Tornado Rod, seeing that those platforms did not actually connect with each other, to come across. The sight that greeted him was familiar. And unsettling.

“The Final Room…”, he muttered. The large red gates with the huge silver keyhole and the prison-like bars, the rich but worn red carpet with the skull of a goat woven in white… There was no mistaking it. The signs were all here. _But what is inside?_

Link unconsciously gripped his right arm beneath his shield. The magic lightning still clung into his flesh stubbornly, hindering both his movement and his sense of touch, every attempt to flex his fingers sending needles of pain through his system. It felt stiff and hard to the touch, and the temperature was off. Last time he entered one such room, he had a head-to-head encounter with Yuga, and he got one such injury… _What if he’s here?_

“Damn it.”, he cursed to himself. Why was he hesitating? He should be excited! This was the last room – the Pendant of Wisdom was here! All he had to do was go through this room and get it! Besides, the room at the Eastern Palace was just a simple chamber. What could be so different with this one?

_The House of Gales is nothing like the Eastern Palace…_

_Oh, shut it consciousness! I’m trying to cheer me up here!_

Link pulled the Big Key from his pouch, and weighted it in his hand. Shaking off his hesitation, he inserted it in the keyhole, and prepared himself to face the last trial of this windmill built to protect the secret of the goddess.

* * *

 

Link found himself on a metal fence balcony slightly raised from the floor. Link used his advantageous position to inspect the room he was in. It was enormous, perhaps the space of three other rooms combined, and empty. Other than the bottomless pit separating the floor from the walls, there was nothing here. Not even the Pendant. _What is going on?_ He had nothing to go on. Nothing.

“Perhaps a hidden switch…”. Link jumped down on the floor.

**SLAM!**

He regretted it a second later. _Oh. The switch was the floor in itself…_

No sooner than he had landed, a large metal plate landed in the middle of the room, made from dark metal and adorning simple patterns that resembled machinery. On top of it fell another metal plate of equal size, this intricately carved into a gory design that resembled fangs.  The top side of the plate was made from copper – or another metal that had a similar colour – and sported geometric designs. However, the center of that plate was nothing mechanical in nature; it was a huge mouth with sharp, yellow fangs. The whole thing seemed to have not seen the light of day for a while, if the smell of old oil and decay was anything to go by.

Then, to Link’s horror and disgust, the mouth opened and an _eyeball_ with visible veins and red iris popped up, staring right at him. Then the eye started spinning and the two wheels – for that’s what those plates were – followed suit like bays. Steam erupted from the lower wheel.

The fight was on.

But how in the world was he supposed to fight this thing?

_Think, Link!_ , mentally shouted the boy to himself, as the machine monstrosity slowly started spinning. _There HAS to be a weakness!_ Well, arrows would not work – that much was a given. _What else do you know about the machine?_ It runs on either steam, or high-pressure air. Wait- **air**?

“That’s it!”.

Acting on his small lead, Link activated his Tornado Rod. The eyeball started spinning, and the machine stopped. _The eye controls the machine!_ Link jumped on and started slashing it with his sword. In response the mouth opened and the eyeball hid inside it. Link leapt off, just as the machine returned to the center of the room. To his shock, the mechanism leapt high in the air and then two more wheels appeared. Except…

_These are organic._ In other words, arrows work. The target was big. He aimed once. Twice. Third time is the charm. The fleshy wheel fell off into the void, and Link repeated the process with the second. With the eyeball in reachable height, Link wasted no second swapping the bow for the rod and then for the sword as he lashed out on the last organic part of the equitation.

Two flesh wheels became four. More running around and more shooting. However, the speed was also vastly different. Link was now missing most of his shots, and even though the machine monster was not aiming specifically for him, he was having an increasingly hard time avoiding it. At this rate, he knew he would not last much longer. He was exhausted to begin with, and the constant fighting did him no favours. It was a matter of time before he collapsed, and if he did so, it was game over.

The wheel slammed on him.

“AAARGH!”. Link screamed as he fell off the platform, and on instinct he gripped the edge of the platform, his life hanging by a thread. Link struggled to drag his body on the platform, his whole body sore from the impact. “Sweet Farore…”. Without a moment’s warning, the machine came back and Link barely dodged.

_Will I really be able to do this?_ He had survived his encounter with Yuga by pure luck! The monster came back and Link on reflex shot an arrow. The flesh wheel staggered at the impact. _That’s right_ , he reminded himself. _You got a job. Do it._ Forcing his mind to enter a state of numb focus, he continued to shoot repeatedly at the remaining flesh wheels, dodging and slamming the eyeball when it came out.

“The End!”, he announced as he stabbed the eyeball for one last time. It exploded and erased from existence, along with the mouth. The wheels ceased their activity. The large machine shut down. It was over.

Link woke up from his stupor. “Huh? I- I did it? I defeated it… _When_?”. A bright glow snapped his out of his thoughts.

At the north edge of the room, as if presenting a throne, magic light formed a bright blue circle adorning the Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru’s symbol. Three crescents united at their arcs, each of them hugging a circle. The glow increased to the point of being almost blinding, as the prize and treasure of the House of Gales revealed its form.

“The Pendant of Wisdom…”, breathed Link in awe. He slow walked to it in reverence. It was beautiful.

The Pendant of Wisdom was identical in shape and form with Nayru’s symbol, yet the crescents were made from solid glistening gold, and the circles were replaced by sparkling sapphires, masterfully cut and polished, their light blue colour brighter than anything and reflecting light in such a way that it was as if they were glowing themselves. The simple leather cord it was tied to just did not do it any justice.

Link reached for the Pendant of Courage under his tunic and compared the two jewels. Whereas Zelda’s charm was made of emerald deeper than the shadows of the forest, the treasure of Nayru sparkled like the waves of Lake Hylia in the sun.

“Time to go home.”, he said out loud, relishing the feeling of success. Also…

_I think I learned something today._


	6. Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Link was currently facing a dilemma. Swim, or fly.

On the one hand, the Zora currently standing guard on the island of the House of Gales would probably not be very forgiving if a Hylian were to invade their territory. On the other hand, if Link were to call Irene again, she would probably kill him. He had her flying around enough for one day. Besides, he would prefer to avoid any future confrontations between Irene and Ravio. But he was so tired…

“I almost got myself killed in there.”, he groaned aloud. The Zora may have turned to stare at him at that comment.

With a slow motion, Link lifted the trophy of his small adventure, still clutched tightly in his hand. The Pendant of Wisdom sparkled in the rich sunlight so much that it was almost blinding. _These jewels are like Zelda’s eyes…_

Link looked at the sky to calculate the time. Deciding that it did not matter, he took a nap under the still burning sun, welcoming the unconsciousness.

* * *

 

_You should already know that._

_…What?_

_Do you have all the time in the world?_

_Yes you do but you FAILED_

_NO WE SAW THE FACE OF VICTORY_

_Temporarily just look at the world around you FORGETFUL it is a DISCRACE A FAÇADE the old ways have FADED you must hurry_

WAKE UP!

* * *

 

“Wake up, Hylian!”.

The sentence was barely registered in his still muddy from sleep brain. “…What?”.

“I said, UP.”.

Slowly the blond-haired boy lifted his half-lidded eyes to see a very displeased Zora staring down at him. “How long I was out?”.

The Zora was clearly unpleased with the casual behaviour of the young Hylian. “Three hours. It should be seven or eight o’clock by your standards.”.

Link nodded, slowly getting up and stretching. “Yeah, I’d better go home now. Guess I’ll swim there.”.

If the Zora had an eyebrow, it would be twitching. “ _Swim_ there, boy?”.

“Can’t call” YAWN “Irene.”.

“There you go then.”. And without any warning Link was tossed into the water.

The shock of the sudden change of temperature was enough to completely shake away all his drowsiness. Chocking his breath, Link forced himself to the surface and exploded into a violent cough fit. “What was THAT for!?”, he demanded from the displeased Zora.

“You were sleeping. I decided to wake you up.”.

“Oh, for goodness sake – You can _drown_ someone that way!”.

“For you to have made your way to this island, you must at least be a decent swimmer.”. Link was fairly certain that the Zoras’ standards of “decent swimmers” were vastly different from the Hylian ones.

Link was NOT in the mood to deal with cranky Zoras. “I’ll go home.”, he stated, hoping the guard would leave him alone.

Said guard just huffed. “Go ahead. Try avoid getting blasted. Or eaten. Or catching a terminal cold that may spell the end of you swimming endeavors.”.

“Why you… Oh, forget it.”. First thing after a temple was a snarky Zora. Just peachy.

The Zora did not bring any objections to Link’s departure; or at least, he did not voice them. After a brief debate, Link decided to find an alternative route to his house rather than the one he had taken previously. Perhaps he should go by Irene’s house to buy a potion from her grandmother – who knew when he would be able to do so again. “And I should really tell the Elder that I’m done here…”.

However… His eye caught something shiny drifting in the distance.

Instead of heading north, Link swam to the most southeast part of Lake Hylia, close to the waterfalls that pour down all the way from Death Mountain. He was pretty sure that that was a dead end, but he was interested in seeing what the shore had to offer. The cool water did miracles to Link’s sore muscles.

A few minutes later, after avoiding a few Zoras – should they not know that he did their queen a huge favour by now? – Link found himself swimming in the southeast canal that swirled through the high cliffs. The canal had many twists and turns, causing Link to completely lose all sense of direction. It was only a matter of time before he ended up in a dead end. That being said, there was a dock here and…

“A letter in a bottle?”. Usually that was a sign of distress. Link took the bottle and made himself comfy – the water was quite shallow here – before reading its contents.

_“I was up in the mountain doing some bouldering… when I lost my grip. And fell. And sort of hurt myself. Eh, all in the day of a boulderer. Going climbing without equipment isn’t for the faint of heart! Anyway, I’m stuck on the mountain way past down the Tower of Hera, and I could really go for some premium milk! Yeah, that’d really get me up and going again. So if you’re at the Milk Bar, pick some up for me! No need to panic and stuff, I can wait for a few days! You can even keep the bottle!”._

Link stared at the letter for a few moments. He knew about the Tower of Hera. He knew the rumours about its location, that is. Death Mountain. People said that all sorts of bizarre monsters loomed those heights since ancient times. Nobody dared to climb it for the never-ending falling boulders would surely crush all intruders. Anyone who would ever possibly build a tower there was either incredibly powerful, or a madman.

Link had been in two such Towers already. With a quiet sigh he resigned himself to his fate. “Guess I’ll have to get him that milk.”.

Link was quick to get up after that, but instead of returning to Kakariko village through the shortest path, he chose to circle this new shore to see if there was any way clear of those aggressive Zoras. Avoiding a large number of crabs and Octorocks, Link soon found something a cave. Curious, he walked inside the dark cave only to be assaulted by the snake-like Ropes – that was a fairly obvious name in his opinion. He soon gave up trying to kill them with his sword and started stomping the ground – and their heads – repeatedly. He had more fun doing that than he should. After that, he took out his lantern and lit the two torches, a chest falling from the ceiling immediately. He was rewarded for his efforts with a purple rupee. “So there are riddles like this all over the place…”. Why would anyone hide their money behind simple puzzles? Not that Link complained…

Interested in what he would find next, Link kept exploring the coast, looking for anything unusual. Not a turn later he found two statues identical to the ones he saw at the Eastern Palace site. Shrugging his shoulders, he made a mental note to come back here later. Maybe he should ask Ravio about those bombs of his…

“Well, looks like there’s nothing else around here.”. Ignoring the fact that he spent the last thirty minutes fooling around, Link started swimming back to Kakariko Village.

* * *

 

It was not a moment later than his arrival when the green-clad boy heard someone calling out to him. “Oh, buzz buzz, Link! Long time no see!”.

“Huh?”. Link turned around to see the _third_ competitor in the “weirdest outfit” competition. It was an old man with dyed green hair styled like antlers of all things and he wore a bee costume with a puffy collar.

“Huh. Don’t you remember me? I’ve been catching bees since way back in the day.”. Oh. _Now_ he remembered him. This guy used to get in trouble all the time in the forest and other places like it because he would pull all sorts of crazy stunts trying to catch those insects he was so obsessed with. He had always been a weirdo, but now… he was even weirder. And rounder. Not that he was going to say that in his face.

“You look… well.”, Link said carefully as he followed the man to his house. The place was small, with a nice green carpet with flower patterns on the floor, and the walls full of bug-catching nets and pinned golden bees.

“Well, I guess I’ve changed a bit. Takes a bee to see a bee. So I’ve bee-come a different person. Now every-buzzy calls me the Bee Guy!”.

Link took a double take. “…Sounds fitting.”.

“Yes, it is. But… I haven’t been catching many bees as of late. So just bee-tween us, I wonder if you’ll do me a favour. I want you to catch bees for me! You can keep ‘em nice and safe in bottles.”.

What!? “I don’t have-”

“What, you don’t have a net? Bee-cause you’re helping me out, I’ll give you one of mine!”.

_I don’t have the TIME for this…_ But he accepted the net anyway. _Guess I can find other uses for this thing._

“Spending my days surrounded by a buzzy swarm of bees has always been my fondest dream.”. Was this guy even sane!? “So use that net to gather up some bees, if you please. Of course, I’ll reward you for bee-ing so helpful.”.

Something in his apologetic tone made Link smile awkwardly. “Well I guess I’ll run into some stray bees here and there…”. He placed the net in his pouch and then headed to the Elder’s house.

Once he got there he entered without knocking, trying to avoid the eternal chaos of papers. For some reason, it appeared as if Sahasrahla had made a quick attempt to tidy up the place; all the papers that were previously dropped on the floor had now been moved on the desks, leaving them in a far bigger mess than previously.

“Link? Is that you, my boy?”. The elder walked in the room slowly, looking more tired than ever. He actually looked even _older_ than his age, with his eyebrow furrowed like this. To think he had only seen his this morning… It was barely evening now.

“Yes. I found the Pendant of Wisdom.”, he replied, lifting the three-stoned jewel with the golden crescents.

Sahasrahla’s face lit up. “Congratulations, my lad. Now there’s only one of them left! But…”.

“It’s at the Tower of Hera, isn’t it.”.

The old man blinked in surprise. “How did you know!?”.

“Lucky guess. I tried to think of any old ruins I might know of.”.

The Elder nodded wisely. “Tis true. Many temples and ruins of old had once played a vital role in the quest of the Hero of Legend. The Pendants of Wisdom had been hidden there since antiquity. However, your trial will not begin at the Tower itself. Climbing the mountain alone is a challenge.”. Sahasrahla looked at Link deadly serious. “There was an old legend at the era of the Hero, speaking of how warriors thought Death Mountain to be an omen of death. They would always have their shields turned to the mountain to protect themselves from the forces of evil. But that is not all, for it was said that the gate to the Dark World was located at the very top.”.

“I bet it wasn’t the only one…”.

“That is unknown, my boy. Those are treacherous heights.”.

“Weird monsters and crushing boulders, right?”.

“Indeed. You’ll need to arm yourself well to overcome this challenge.”.

Link smiled. “Don’t worry. I got that covered.”, he replied, thinking of Ravio.

Sahasrahla shot his a strange look. “Be careful, Link. You never know what danger lies at the corner. It is best if you head home. You’ll need all your strength for tomorrow.”.

“But what is it’s too late?”. The old man looked at him in surprise, and Link finally let his worry spill. “Zelda… Princess Zelda is locked in the castle by that madman! What if she’s alone in there with him? Who knows what he’s done to her already! Maybe-! Maybe…”.

“Link.”. The old man put his grizzled hands on the boy’s shoulders, in an attempt to calm him down. “Lady Impa is there with her. Even though she isn’t as young as she used to, she is still a Sheikha. It is the duty of her people to protect the Royal Line, and Lady Impa is more than capable of carrying it out. So you needn’t worry.”.

Link felt better, knowing that. “Thank you, sir.”.

“No need to thank me, my boy. Now, head to your house.”.

Link raised an eyebrow at the elder’s apparent eagerness to get rid of him. “What’s wrong?”.

Sahasrahla sighed deeply. “Ever since you left this morning, everyone in the village has been asking me questions on what happened to the castle… and unfortunately I don’t have the answers.”.

Link tried to change the subject. “What kind of weapons do I need? Getting on top of Death Mountain’s tricky, right?”.

Sahasrahla refocused to the matter at hand. “I don’t know myself, but I know someone who does. His name is Rosso, a miner; you may know him.”.

“Yes, he’s friends with my master. He sells us the ore for the forge.”.

“Good. You may ask him. Do you know where he lives?”.

“Yes, I’ll go there now.”, said Link, tucking the Pendant in his pouch and preparing to leave.

“May the goddesses protect you, young Hero.”.

_And everyone else._

* * *

 

The walk to Rosso’s house was as short as expected. He lived a roughly half a mile north of Kakariko Village, right next to Death Mountain; it only took fifteen minutes to get there. Link was pretty familiar with the place. This time however, an unexpected sight greeted him – the fenced yard was full of rocks of all sizes. _Did the earthquake cause a landslide or something?_

Feeling concerned, Link slowly walked into the house. He could hear Rosso complaining from inside. “Urggh! These rocks! Real pain in the neck!”. As he walked in, Link could easily see the man lift a boulder, turn around, and smash it on the floor of his house into tiny pieces. Link was suitably awed.

Truth be told, Rosso was a large man. And by large he meant _huge_. He was not the tallest person Link had ever met, but his weight and strength was enough for three men. Rosso had a stout but strong built, his arms and biceps resembled tree trunks. Rosso’s facial features were also rough; he had a big mouth that looked like it split his face in half, no eyebrows and small, black, almost beady eyes. He also had only a turf of fiery red hair on top of his head which he held together with a black leather band, and a thick fiery beard to match. Rosso was shirtless as always, with nothing but an undersized brown vest on him, pants, and thick boots. Link had noticed a while back that his belt buckle had a strange symbol on it that resembled a footprint. He wondered what it meant. To complete his attire, he wore a pair of leather wrist bands on each hand – to protect them, he said.

Rosso, being obviously preoccupied, noticed Link a little bit late. “Huh? A customer?”, he asked in his booming voice, before his face split into a wide grin. “Hey, you’re that kid who works for the Paul, right? The blacksmith! Decided you’ve had enough of that place, huh? Here to be MY apprentice, maybe? Grah-ha-ha!”, he laughed heartedly. “Just joking! I wouldn’t do that to your master. Come in, kid!”.

Link felt all the tension melt away from his shoulders. In spite of his intimidating appearance, it was impossible _not_ to like Rosso. His sheer friendliness made him approachable and respected to everyone.

Only when Link got inside Rosso’s house was he able to appreciate the extent of the damage done to the place. While the walls of the house were more or less intact – in fact, not even the sheets of paper nailed on them had fallen off – the roof sported a very large hole. Countless rocks had filled the back of the house and the formed a pile along the walls, so tall that it reached the ceiling. Link briefly wondered how in the world was Rosso planning on fixing that mess; he couldn’t even begin to think about the cost. Actually, he could, but the number was too big for comfort.

Rosso noticed the way Link was eying the house. “Sorry ‘bout all this, kid. I was on the mountain mining ore when, all of a sudden, the earth started shaking! When I got home, the place was a wreck. Rocks everywhere. You seen outside? I’ll be bustin’ my back for days to clean up that mess.”.

“That earthquake; it was yesterday evening, right?”, asked Link for confirmation.

“Aye. You lad felt that all the way down to your Mater’s place?”.

“The _entire Hyrule_ felt that.”, informed him Link with a heavy sigh. “The center of the earthquake was at the castle.”.

Rosso threw the boy a strange look. “That’s odd. Could swear it was from the mountain… How d’you know that?”.

Link had not considered an excuse for that question. How could he tell anyone that a wizard did it? Everybody would think he was crazy! “I was close! That’s all.”.

Thankfully, Rosso did not press the issue any further. “Well, at least pickin’ up rocks and smashin’ the things feels good. Wish they were full of good ore, though. These have nothin’”.

“If I can help in anything…”.

“What? You want to try too? Rah! Feels good smashing stuff!”.

Link had to admit that destroying all those needless old pots in the towers had been a great method for stress relief. However, this never goes on record. EVER. But… “I can’t lift them.”.

“Huh? Can’t do it? Sorry to hear it. Can’t stand to see a nice kid like you not be able to throw your weight around…”. Link was one hundred per cent certain that most people in the world could not. “Here – take this.”.

To Link’s surprise, Rosso searched throw one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out a pair of brown leather fingerless gloves with metal studs. Even _more_ surprisingly, they seemed to be about his size! “It’s a hand-me-down from yours truly.”.

Link stared at it in confusion. “What is this?”.

“That’s the Power Glove. When you wear it, it doubles your strength. Pretty good for a kid like you!”.

Link was astonished by this gift. “Thank you so much!”.

The large man chuckled. “You’ll feel tough with that on your mitt – oughta be able to up rocks! Smaller ones, anyway. And if you get to smashin’ and just can’t stop yourself, well, there’s a whole bunch of them outside!”. He burst into laughter at the look on Link’s face. “Grah-ha-ha! Just a joke, that’s all. I wouldn’t REALLY tell ya to do all my work out there. Still, if you do… who am I to stop ya? Now, those rocks aren’t gonna clean themselves up. Back to it!”.

“Actually, Mr. Rosso,”, stopped him Link, “there’s something I need to ask you.”.

“Hm?”.

“I, uh…”, _how in the world do I explain this?_ “I have to go to the Tower of Hera tomorrow, and I don’t know what tools I should get.”.

Rosso examined Link from head to toe and back at the sound of this, his gaze lingering to the finely crafted sword and the wooden shield on his back. “You’re easy with weapons I take it?”.

Link thought about it for a moment. “Yes.”.

“Well, ya’ll need a hammer, that’s for sure. The BIG ones, not those you smack nails into the walls with. Or those heavy but small ones at the forge. You’ll also need a hookshot. That’s a chain launcher thingy, to cross gaps. There’re some pretty big ones up in the mountain. You think your master can make them? I don’t know if he has the ore for it. I sure don’t have much. Oh, bombs too. Ya never know.”.

“I know a merchant.”, replied Link. Ravio seemed to have a tool for _everything._

“Good for you. Anyway, when ya go to the mountain, watch your head. Falling rocks all the time. Monsters too, but they’re not too much. And tell that ol’ smithy master of yours I said hello.”.

“I will!”, promised Link with a wide grin as he left the house.

That visit went way better than he could have hoped. His mood dropped a little again when he almost tripped over a rock. He took a look at his newly acquired magical item, and a tiny cocky smirk formed on his lips. “Let’s see what these can do.”.

A few minutes later, Link had smashed almost every single rock in the yard and one of those annoying Crows – purple beak and yellow edges at their wings, not the regular ones – along with them. It was at that exact moment that Rosso chose to exit his house. He took a double take and looked around his yard in astonishment. “Wh-where have all those darned rocks got to?”. That was when he noticed a very still Link with a rock over his head having an “woops, am I in trouble” expression.

**“Oh HO!** You went ahead and did the job for me! I gotta thank you for all that.”.

“I was thanking you-”, started Link, smashing the last rock.

“Gah! No need for that kid! Come on in, OK?”. Inside his house, Rosso had brought a small chest out of thin air and prompted Link to open it. With hesitation Link found inside a purple rupee. “Glad to share what’s in that chest with you. You earned it, kid!”.

Link could not believe Rosso’s generosity. Not only had he given him the Power Glove for free, he had even paid him fifty rupees! “Thanks a lot, Mr. Rosso. Really.”.

“Don’t mention it, kid. Just take care of yourself outa there.”.

And that was why there was absolutely no way anyone could ever dislike Rosso.

* * *

 

That evening Link was _finally_ able to go and sleep at the comfort of his own home. Well, as comfortable as it could be with Ravio’s merchandise stacked in there. He could _swear_ the pots in his house were gone last time he had been there.

The greeting was the same as usual. “Welcome home, Mr. Hero!”, greeted him Ravio cheerily, though it seemed a little forced.

“What’s-” YAWN “up?”.

The big bunny chuckled. “Are you tired, Mr. Hero? You seem quite exhausted!”.

Link nodded. “You won’t believe the running around I made earlier.”, he muttered.

“So how did it go?”.

“Go what?”.

“Why, your quest of course, Mr. Hero! Did you gotta conquer the Palace of… whatever.”.

Link snorted. “It’s a windmill.”.

“Oh. Well, uh, did you conquer the windmill?”. _That sounds so weird…_

“Yep.”, replied Link a grin. “Got the treasure and everything. Thanks to your bracelet, really.”, he admitted. “That thing’s a real life saver.”.

He could actually spot Ravio’s blush beneath that hood of his. “Um, it- it was nothing, Mr. Hero.”.

“Just call me Link… But, yeah. I wouldn’t even _reach_ the place without it.”.

“So, where to next, Mr. Hero?”, asked Ravio with interest.

“The Tower of Hera.”, replied Link, sitting on his bed and dropping the sword and shield at his side. “It’s on top of Death Mountain.”.

His purple-clad friend took half a step back. “Sounds… awfully ominous for Hyrule.”.

“Everyone says that place is a death trap.”, explained Link, trying not to think of all the possible ways the trek up the treacherous cliffs could kill him. “Falling rocks and weird monsters everywhere. A friend of my Master goes there to mine ore.”.

“Your master?”, asked Ravio in confusion.

“I’m a blacksmith apprentice. Didn’t I tell you?”.

“Dunno…”.

“Never mind.”.

“So… Ore, you said? Is it like a volcano or something? Those fire-spitting mountains?”.

Link thought about that for a second. “It _used_ to be from what I know; it was inactive at the time of the Hero of Legend, that’s for sure.”. Link observed Ravio’s troubled posture. “You don’t really know the landmarks, do you?”.

“Not really…”, admitted Ravio. “It’s more… different than I expected.”.

“Well,”, started Link “North and northeast is the Death Mountain. You can see it from everywhere. West to that are the Lost Woods. Nobody lives there cause anyone who wonders in too deep meets ghosts and thieves or something.”.

“You don’t sound very convinced.”.

“Never saw anything.”, shrugged Link. “Except that one time…”.

Ravio looked _very_ concerned and curious now. “What, monsters?”.

“No, never mind. South of that, there’s Kakariko Village. That’s where pretty much everyone lives. It’s a pretty peaceful town.”.

“No thieves, no nothing?”.

“Nope. Nothing ever happens in Kakariko.”.

“Lucky you…”, commented Ravio with an oddly downcast look on him.

“Em, I guess?”. Link rubbed his head to get rid of the awkwardness that settled between them. “South of Kakariko, there’s the Gerudo Desert. Not sure why it’s called that, but nobody ever goes there. The place is practically barricaded.”.

Ravio nodded in understanding. “Cliffs and stuff?”.

“Yeah, from what I hear. East of that, there are the plains. Nothing special really. And south of the Eastern Palace, there’s Lake Hylia. That’s where I was now. Only the Zoras live there, though their main land is southeast of Death Mountain, just above the Eastern Palace. And… That’s it, I guess. Hyrule’s not very big.”.

“Look at the good side, Mr. Hero! It’s not as bad as other places!”, cheered Ravio.

“I guess not…”. Truth be told, Link had no idea what was going on overseas. Hyrule had apparently ceased all communications with other countries for a few centuries now. “Speaking of Death Mountain, Ravio, I need some help with that. Do you have a hammer, bombs or a hookshot? Figured I need them.”.

“Of course I do, Mr. Hero! But for a price~”.

“How much?”.

Ravio thought about it for a moment.  “The rental price for the hookshot is fifty rupees, and for the hammer… Hold on… That would be twenty rupees. The bombs are forty.”.

“Why’s the hookshot the most expensive?”.

“The hookshot is a delicate mechanism! It must be treated with care! Its chain can extend to all distances!”.

“You’ll show me in the morning.”, replied Link.

“Wait, the morning?”, asked Ravio. “I thought you had a princess to save?”.

Link felt a wave of guilt wash over him at that. “Sahasrahla says Impa will look out for her. She’s a Sheikha.”.

“Alright then. If you say so…”. Ravio still sounded suspicious.

…

“I don’t like it.”, admitted Link. “I don’t have a clue how long it’ll take ‘till I get all the pendants. And it’s been almost three days. Who can fight for three days in the row? Impa is an old woman, for Din’s sake!”. Link was ranting now. “And then there’s Death Mountain… It’ll probably be a full day ‘till I get done with THAT place, if _ever_ … There are legends about that tower, you know. How it’s supposed to be the ultimate fortress or something. How am I supposed to survive this _and_ get to the Princess in time?!”.

“Yeah… I guess you’re right…”, commented Ravio awkwardly. “But you’ve already done so many amazing things! Like a real hero!”.

Ravio’s enthusiasm and unwavering faith brought a small smile to Link’s face. “Yeah… I guess you’re right…”.

“See, Mr. Hero? It’s not so bad!”. Link had already given up on fixing that habit.

Link kicked off his boots. “Goodnight Ravio.”, he said, burying himself under the blanket.

“Wait, Mr. Hero! Where will I sleep?!”.

…

…

“YOU’RE KIDDING ME!”.

* * *

 

The next morning, Link was sure to wake up and have breakfast as soon as possible. He had to finish this. Fast. And the first step was to call Irene.

“Why did you wake me up so early!?”. She shouted as soon as she saw him.

Link threw her a long look – she didn’t look just barely awake at all. “You told me the other day that your grandma wakes you up very early to help with the potions.”.

Irene huffed. “That for her sake, not yours, Greenie!”.

“Anyway”, started Link, “I need to get to Kakariko Village real quick.”.

Irene frowned at this out-of-character moment for Link. “What’s the emergency?”.

“Save the princess.”.

Irene snorted. “You’re sure she’s not at her castle?”.

“No, she’s definitely at her castle.”. _That’s the problem._ Thankfully, Irene did not seem to be in the mood for small talk, so she did not inquire further. In fact, for the first time ever, the trip was fairly silent.

“Thanks for the ride, Irene.”.

“No prob.”.

As soon as Link got off the broom, he checked his mental to-do list. First, get the milk for the miner. His first stop was the milk bar. The barman always opened his shop very early, because that was when he had most of his customers. Link eagerly stepped in the well-lit store.

“Good morning!”, he greeted Talon. “Do you have premium milk?”.

“Welcome! Care for an icy-cold glass of-!”. Talon paused when he realized what Link had said. “Whuh? You heard about premium milk?”. The bar owner realized that he was shouting and took a few careful glances to see if anyone had heard him. When he realized nobody had, he dropped his voice to a whisper. “How’d you find out about the good stuff. That’s a golden membership exclusive product!”.

“I found a message in a bottle from a miner stranded on Death Mountain.”, replied Link. “He was specifically asking for it.”.

“I see…”, said Talon deep in thought. “A message in a bottle. And from someone stranded up on the mountain? Could only be one guy. He’s a tricky customer. Sorry to ask, but could you take this premium milk to him? I bet it would help him heal up in no time. Wait for a moment, I’ll get it ready.”.

_Looks like this sort of thing happens very often…_ , thought Link as he watched Talon vanish at the back of the shop. A few minutes later the barman was back with a shiny new bottle filled with milk up to the very top. Link couldn’t help but notice how it looked a bit more creamy and thick compared to the usual variety.

“Here it is.”, said Talon as he handed the bottle to Link. The boy thanked him in return. “Does this sort of thing happen often?”.

“He’s a regular at my establishment who loves exploring the mountain. Last time he was here, I think he said his next expedition would take him east of the Tower of Hera.”. _Woah. I hadn’t even had to explain the situation. All his guesses as spot on!_ “You’re really going up the mountain, kid?”.

“Yeah, I have some things to do there.”.

“Be careful, with the earthquake and everything. That customer of mine… I can’t afford to lose his business. Get that to him, OK? I’m really counting on you, friend.”.

“How much is the milk?”.

“Fifty rupees.”. _Of course the guy on the mountain wouldn’t mention the price…_ , grumbled Link in his head, but he handed the money nonetheless. _I’m running short…_ , he noted. _I have to do something about it._

“No choice…”, he grumbled as he called Irene. He _hated_ what he was about to do.

He once again called Irene. “Where to this time?”, she asked.

“The Sanctuary.”.

“The Sanctuary? Are you running some weird errands again or something?”.

“Not exactly.”.

“Then _what_?”.

“I’m storming the Tower of Hera.”.

Irene had a spit take. “You’re doing WHAAAT!? What does that have to do with saving the princess!? Don’t tell me you’re role-playing the Hero of Legend or something!”.

Link shot her a death glare. “Not in the mood, Irene. I really am on a time limit.”.

“Oh yeah? Then when’s the deadline?”.

“As soon as possible.”.

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?”.

Link sighed. He did _not_ want to start an argument. “It means that I have to get to Death Mountain very quick. Sorry for bothering you with it, but it really is an emergency.”.

“Well, as long as you’re _sorry_ for it…”, said Irene with a cocky air. “Sanctuary, right?”.

“Yep.”. Without any more talking, they took off.

* * *

 

As soon as he got off at the Sanctuary, Link quickly made his way to Rosso’s house. He was pretty sure that he had seen a cave a few meters away from the back yard last time he had been there. As soon as he spotted it, after he made sure that Rosso was not watching him, he took out his hammer and smashed the logs that blocked the entrance. Inside there was a lone treasure chest which Link opened. Inside, there was a red rupee.

“I’m sorry, Rosso.”, mumbled Link under his breath. He really hated himself for stealing from such a kind man, but he had little choice but to do it. This, morning, Link had paid a hundred and sixty rupees. It was a staggering amount of money, and he found himself in a great need of money as of late.

He took a quick look up to the sky. The sun was up for quite a while now, but the air was still cold and crisp from the morning breeze. “I have the whole day.”, he said to himself. But that did not mean he did not have to hurry. He was saying that a lot today, but it was true. He was incredibly worried for Zelda. He had already wasted days trying to get the pendants.

Ahead was the infamous Death Mountain. The entrance to its caves was just down the hill. When he got there, Link smashed the rocks blocking his way with his power gloves and took a deep breath.

“Let’s do this.”.

* * *

 

The first thing Link noticed as soon as he entered was that the space was pitch black. The only visible light was the one coming from the entrance of the cave. He quickly brought out his magic lamp and used its light to reveal the space within. The second thing he noticed…

“What in Farore… The ground is _paved_!”. The cave was not a cave at all. It looked a lot more like an artificial tunnel. The space was cleanly cut, the walls and the ceiling, though obviously aged, were still smooth for the most part, and the ground was paved with smooth rocks that made Link feel like he was walking on one of the streets of Kakariko rather than untamed soil. Not only that, but the tunnel appeared to be very long too, and wide. “Who in the world could have made this?”.

Link walked further into the tunnel, wary of any monsters. As soon as he took the right turn, he was quickly assaulted by something on the ground. He barely had time to see it as it moved away, but it soon came back and Link was able to discern its features more clearly before killing it.

It was a Mini Moldrom. An orange creature as long as a snake, but with an insect-like body with an oversized head and orange in colour. They were kind of small but very fast, with a strong exoskeleton that served as an armour, and apparently no awareness of their surroundings, thus assaulting absolutely anything that crossed their path. And even worse, dark, dry and narrow spaces were their favourite living environment. In other words, Death Mountain was the perfect fit for them.

“I hope there aren’t any more of them ahead…”.

Once he was done with the Moldrom, Link noticed that there was another path on his left blocked by a large rock. He tried lifting it but he could not. When he saw that smashing it with the hammer would not work either, Link decided to move ahead. The tunnel was like a snake with all its twists and turns, and Link noticed that it was going uphill. He faced a few other Mini Moldroms on his way out, but soon he reached the exit.

Once outside, his senses were assaulted by all directions. First was the bright light, that almost blinded him, thought it seemed to be filtered through something. The next was the overwhelming scent of eggs gone bad. Sulfur, if he remembered correctly. He had been smelling that for a while now, as the smell seemed to have purred deep into the rocks of the mountain, but now it was overwhelming. The third was the loud, booming noise, and the powerful rumbling that shook his body to its core.

“What the-!”. A bright flash of red made Link twist his neck up and to his left. To his horror, the mountainpeak was shaking, and the noise was building up. “Can’t be…”.

On the climax, the mountain erupted.

Link watched with wide eyes as a gayzer of molten rock and ash erupted from the mountainpeak and slowly started descending, deadly boulder following suit to cause a minor avalance.

“No way… This isn’t a mountain…”, breathed Link in realization. “It’s a volcano! It’s a freaking active volcano!”.

Suddenly, the name “Death Mountain” made a lot more sense.

* * *

 

Once upon a time, in the ancient land of Hyrule, there was an old superstition; that all warriors should guard themselves with their shields from the dark miasma of evil that oozed from the mountain.

Right now, Link was faced with a danger unlike anything he had seen before – the wrath of Din herself.

“An active volcano…”. The situation on Death Mountain was a lot more dangerous than Link originally had thought. He already knew about the falling rocks and the monsters, but the volcano and the ash provided a new danger altogether. He had heard from his master that the stuff that came from a volcano was poisonous. Sulfur, in particular, was one of the few materials that Nick the smith would avoid like the plague. Now there was the threat of Link suffocating from the smoke at any given moment.

Before he could fully assess the new dangers, Link was attacked. He blindliy sung his sword at that direction, only for a resounding sound of clashing metal to be heard. “Huh?”. He looked around for the monster, but the only thing he saw was a… metal statue? After looking around for any other monsters, Link examined his finding further. The small monster statue looked like a humanoid and chuby lizard, with large eyes and two small pointy horns at the back of its head. Now Link recognized it. It was a Deadrock. The name was unusually obvious. He decided to leave it alone.

Link now examined his surrounding further. While his right was a dead end, there was a relatively narrow path created by various rocks and boulders on his left, most of which boundels were made by frozen lava. He also noticed that some of them were sparkling for some reason, as if there were precious stones in them.

“Let’s see what inside.”. With a swift and decisive move, Link took out the mighty hammer, and smashed the glimmering rock to reveal “RUPEES!!!”. All of them were green, worth only one rupee each, but Link did not care. Money is money. He quickly gathered the rupees in his pouch and moved on to the next boulder, just in time to avoid one of the falling and blazing ones.

Link was wet with cold sweat. “Dear Din… that was close…”. If he had not noticed the shadow of the incoming boulder above him, he would have turned into a scorched corpse. And he had the Deadrocks to deal with too. “That’s Death Mountain for you.”. Still, the presence of the rupees explained why there were people mining up here.

Link took a U-turn and smashed as many rupee boulders as he could while avoiding the Deadrocks and the lava boulders. He crossed a wooden bridge that led to the eastern part of the mountain, while pointedly ignoring the huge fall beneath him – he could not even see the bottom due to the fumes! – and he quickly dealth with the blue Tektite that he found there.

Tektites were monsters that resembled crabs or spiders, but they only had four legs in orange colour, blue or red bodies – the red ones were tougther – and a single huge eye that dominated most of their body mass. Their rubber-like bodies made them very resistant to damage.

Link climbed a wooden ladder and there he spotted another weather vane as well as the entrance to a tunnel. He woke up the vane with a quick prayer for safety, and it chirped back in acknowledgment, completely ignoring the chaos surrounding it. However, instead of enetering the tunnel, Link noticed the entrance of a regular cave just bellow him. He entered and found a small treasure chest with a blue rupee in it. That was worth five.

Using his wall melding abilities, Link made his way to another cave, which had its entrance blocked by fallen rocks. He used one of his new bombs to clear the passage, and inspected the cave. There was another treasure chest inside, but this one had fifty rupees. “Looks like I won’t have to worry much about money.”.

Link climbed back to the entrance of the tunnel, but not before taking a small but dangerous detour for some other rupee boulders. However, instead of going in the tunnel, he turned into a painting to access the entrance of another cave that he spotted.

He was a little surprised to discover that the inside was as well-built as the tunnel he had used to come here, if not even more so. The floor was smooth and blemishless, and the walls were painted with intricate blue patterns, and the whole space was illuminated by a well-made lamppost. There was another rupee boulder here, but that was not what caught Link’s attention. No, his attention was caught by the small fountain in the corner.

Something was fluttering over it.

There were some… creatures over the fountain. They were small, but they were glowing with an ethereal white light, which somehow was not harmful to the eye at all, and they were leaving somesort of glittering substance in their trail. He could make out two pairs of wings on each on them, resembling insect wings, but those were much clearer than those; they were beautiful. If he squinted close enough, he could make out actual bodies. They were silver in colour with hardly anything to cover them, but they resembled… hylians.

Link could not believe his eyes. “They- This can’t be real…”.

He walked closer to the fountain, his steps slow and light as if he were stepping on fragile glass, in a trance by his wonder. He kneeled next to the fountain, and one of the creatures fluttered close to his face, waving him hello.

_One of the fluttering, winged, glowing, hylian-like creatures just **waved him hello.**_

“Fairies.”.

Link had heard of fairies, obviously. Ever since he was a kid, he had developed a great interest in the monsters and the legends of Hyrule. While his job as the blacksmith’s apprentice was far more important and consumed a lot of his time, Link took great pride in the fact that he could recognize every single monster in Hyrule. However, Link right now was doubting his recognition skills. He pinched himself once. Nope, still there. The fairies were real. Now what to do with them…

“Fairies are pretty useful, aren’t they? They can heal anything… Put it in a bottle, right? But I don’t think they’ll just fly in the bottle…”. After a moment’s thought, Link took out the bee-catching net that the Bee guy had lended to him and used it to catch one of the fairies. It was caught off guard and trapped in the net with ease. Link placed her in a bottle – it looked like female – very carefully so he would not ruin her wings – they looked very fragile. After a moment’s thought he decided against talking a second one. He had no idea how those fountains worked, but he did not want to ruin it.

Shaking his head, Link destroyed the rupee boulder and left the fountain.

Link finally went back to the tunnel he had found earlier and entered. As expected, the place was paved and its walls were smooth, just like the other tunnels from earlier. However, this tunnel had something different about it. The resounding sound of something _huge_ , rolling. And it was very, _very_ close. Link looked up to see the cause of the noise, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. This was not just a tunnel; it was an entire mining system. It was some sort… production lane? He _thought_ that was the name, but he was not sure. Regardless, there was a whole bunch of lava boulders, some of which had rupees in them, rolling down on a lane designed for that specific purpose. It was obviously done for mining purposes, but now Link had a whole bunch of questions floating around his head.

_Who could have possibly done this?_ Who could have possibly braved Death Mountain – an active volcano – and build an entire mining system there? The thought alone that rupees originate from here was overwhelming. Link had honestly neved wondered where their currency came from. Yet here was a system not only fully dedicated to that purpose, but it seemed to be fully automated. A single man could not have possibly done this. Heck, not even a hundred men could have done this. The Death Mountain mines – he would call them this from now on – was a system worth years, if not decades of effort, and it was done with tools that Link could not imagine. They were done by a group of people that actually _lived_ here.

Link was overwhelmed. “I should ask Sahasrahla later…”.

Now a more urgent matter; getting through this without getting crushed.

The line was zigzagged, and there was an almost continuous flow of boulders rolling down, with frequent but small openings. There were staircases among the different levels of the line which provided safe spots for rest. He would have to use his painting transformation for the rest. From his vantage point, Link could not see any exits; however, he had not seen any alternative rootes outside, so there had to be one. _If it’s blocked, I’ll just blast it._

His mind made up, Link bravely climbed up the first staircase.

He quickly ran up the lane and climbed the second staircase before the boulders could get him. He did the same with the next staircase, but on the third level, he noticed that there were chunch of the floor missing. He turned into a painting to cross over those, and he remained as such for a bit longer waiting for the boulders to pass by. He climbed onto the the staircase, waiting for the next row of boulders to pass, and that was when he noticed a safe spot; there was a large opening on the wall blocked by a few logs. Link readied his hammer, ran to said wall, turned into a painting to cross over the gap, smashed the logs and hid in the crevice, just in time to avoid the next row of boulders.

From his vantage point, he could see that the mine had two exits, both in different heights, both of which were accessible via wooden bridges. _Better go to the higher one first to take a better look around._ He did so, avoiding a few other boulders in the process, and found a small treasure chest. He shook his head at the improbable location. “I guess nobody would think to look for a treasure chest around here…”. Then again, why would anyone hide money when they were practically surrounded by it?

Link opens the chest. Inside, there is a red rupee. Link takes it.

Link went back inside and headed to the next exit. He found a wooden sign there. _“Please, be careful of fallings rocks.”_.

“Crap, the boulders!”. Link dodged a magma boulder just in timebefore he was crushed by it, and avoided a Deadrock that was mindlessly coming to his direction, almost falling on his face when he tripped on a rock. “That was _way_ too close…”. He ran uphill and found the entrance to another tunnel.

This was a mine like the one previously, but smaller, and a lot more dangerous. Instead of the boulders being led to a safe direction, like the lane earlier, they were just rolling down through designated lanes. Crossing through this mine would be a lot riskier. In fact, Link knew that if he did not have the ability to turn into a painting, and decided to linger around in places, he would have already been killed. _Where are they all going in the first place?_ Link could also spot several different exits, one of which was three levels above towards east.

Mindful of all the rolling boulders – there was a serious lack of security measures in this place – he quickly found the woodem bridge that led to the first exit. Outside there was nothing but another entrance a bit to the west. It was still the same mine. Link crossed another wooden bridge, and continued climbing up higher. To his annoyance, the top level had no save spots whatsoever. “I have to be quick.”. He ran to the west end of the lane which had another exit, and _finally_ stepped outside…

…to find himself on top of a cliff.

“Oh, come on! What were they thimking!? Who _made_ this crap!?”. Fortunatelly, there were no falling boulders all the way up here.

He spotted the closest mine entrance, just in the crevice ahead, so he turned into a painting to cross the gap. After looking around a little, Link spotted the entrance to a cave. He entered, and he saw that it was paved which meant it was artificial, but it was a dead end; there was a balcony so high up that Link would not be able to reach it even if he were to use the Tornado Rod. He decided to turn back.

The next cave – or mine, most probably – was way down bellow, under the gap between the two crevices. Link gulped. That was a _long_ jump, and he could not see any obvious way to climb back up. He braced himself for the fall.

“Argh!”. He rolled to absorb the impact, but his ankles still took the burn of the landing. He sat down for a moment, gently massaging his legs, and vowed to himself that he would avoid such high jumps as much as possible. He also took a gulp of water from his flask, thankful that Ravio insisted to take one with him. _“Dehydration is one of the most common causes if death, Mr. Hero!”_ , he said with no small amount of excitement. For a cheerful bunny, his humor was a bit too bleak at times.

As it turned out, the “cave” that he had found was nothing more than a tiny tunnel that led to the entrance of _another_ cave. Still, that small tunnel had allowed him to get to the other side of the mighty mountain peaks he was on top of no moments earlier. Trying to go around by any other means would take ages. “Clever shortcut.”, he mused.

Link entered the new cave. It was paved, and lit up with lampposts. There was a steep staircase that led to much higher ground. When he reached the top, he saw that the walls have the same blue patterns as the ones he had seen earlier in that _other_ place.

“Another fountain…”.

Link was stumped. He had run into not one, but _two_ fairy fountains in the span of less than a hour. Just like the fountain before, the space was cool but not unpleasantly so, the smell of the sulfur was absent – Link had not realized how polluted the air he was breathing was up until that point – and the fairies were fluttering around without a care in the world. The whole scene was serene and welcoming.

Link decided to rest here a little.

He sat down in the fountain, absorbing the coolness of the water. The fairies danced around him, covering him in their magic, and Link felt the pain in his leg and his fatigue fading away. Suddenly he felt a tingling sensation inside his right forearm. Surprised, he rolled up his sleeve to see the glowing scar that Yuga had left him not three days earlier. To his astonishment, the malicious glow was now somewhat softer, and the numbness in his arm had subsidized a bit. He testily flexed his fingers, and he realized that they were now easier to move. “Woah… Fairies really can heal anything…”. He was grateful.

Feeling refreshed, he decided to take another fairy with him. “Time to go.”.

The fairies waved him goodbye, and with a glowing smile, Link waved back. The tiny fairy that he had taken with him was waving too. Link carefully placed the bottle in his pouch.

He looked around for a new entrance and he chuckled a bit. This was the dead-end cave that he had found earlier. He was back where he came from. He jumped down and went outside, venturing down the route that he had left alone earlier.

_Nothing_ could have prepared him for the sight around the corner. **Nothing.**

Two mighty stone pillars were on each side of a long stone bridged that stretched across the void, the entrance of which was blocked by large logs. A weather vane was asleep next to the east pillar. Ahead of him, at the other end of the bridge, a large shadow loomed over the young swordsman.

Heavy, and so tall that he could not see the top before the volcanic fog shtouded it, with small windows like a fortress, covered in red stone and white gargoyles, this was the place that made even the best swordsmen and knight of Hyrule cower, and tempted many others.

The legendary Tower of Hera.

 


	7. Tower of Hera

The Tower of Hera. Legend had it that this was one of the most dangerous places in Hyrule. Link was now certain that its reputation was most definitely true. If it were not for Link’s ability to turn into a painting, he would have turned into paste a few dozen times by now. Still, standing before the intimidating structure that was the Tower of Hera, he did not feel so confident.

Link opened his magical pouch to check out his items and weapons; to make sure that he was ready and properly prepared. He had bombs, the hammer and the hookshot, just like Rosso had suggested. He also had two bottled fairies and…

“Ah! The milk!”. He had almost forgotten. “There’s a stranded miner here, isn’t he?”. Link took a moment to consider his options: whether to look for the miner before or after finding the Pendant of Virtue. He knew that the miner was further down the volcano, but not exactly where. While it was not late by any means – it was barely mid morning, there was no telling how long it would take to find the miner, and he wanted to save his strength for the Tower. On the other hand, Link knew that he would be exhausted by the time he was done with it, and most probably injured – thus he would not be able to look for him at all, and the man would remain stranded here. Taking his decision, Link turned away from the Tower. It was not going anywhere any time soon.

Link ran further down to the east, deflected an incoming Deadrock, and he found a broken wooden bridge. He grinned a little. “That’s what the hookshot is for!”. He brought out the item in question and recalled Ravio’s instructions. He grasped the handle of the device, careful not to accidently press the trigger, took careful aim at a wooden pole at the other side of the gap, and fired. In a blink, a long chain with a dangerous-looking hook was blasted from the device and buried itself deeply in the log, the gain immediately curled back in the device, dragging Link though the air with it, and over the dangerous gap. “Woah…”, gasped Link. “That was dangerous.”. He then spotted the monster that was there.

It was a Lynel. Lynels were bulky creatures that from what Link had heard, they vaguely resembled lions – though he had no idea what a lion was supposed to look like. It had orange fur and a white mane, and yellow slitted eyes. Its face was more human like, but with the mouth too wide and the features too flat, as if it was slammed against a wall. It had both the body of an animal and a human torso. The torso was chummy with strong but short arms, and it was covered by a green tank top. The lower, animal like body was similar, though the front legs looked oddly gangly, and the tail was comically short. It was also obvious that it was extremely tough, and at least twice his size; and to top all that, they could breath fire. Link did _not_ want to deal with it. _I better hide._

Unfortunately, there was nothing to hide behind. Link took the second best option. _Run!_ And run he did. With a burst of speed, Link narrowly dodged the two Lynels and a nearby Deadrock and entered the first mine entrance he could. He merely threw a brief glance at the sign next to the entrance. _“Rosso’s Ore Mine”_.

The room Link had entered had nothing. It was paved, just like most of the mines around here, and two lit torches were on each side of the entrance. Link briefly wondered how they were lit in the first place, but he ignored those thoughts. On his left side, there was another door which lead to a different room. There was a strong wave of heat coming through there, as strong as the forge back at Master Nick’s house. Full of curiosity, Link decided to look deeper.

As soon as he stepped in, he almost fainted. He was _inside the volcano_. “This is… just- COUGH!”. Link struggled to ease his breathing. “How can anyone _work_ here?”. He managed to get through his coughing fit. The place stunk with sulfur and the ash made him chock. The heat was so heavy that he could not even sweat, or perhaps his sweat was evaporating before it even poured out of his body. The moisture trapped in here was enough to make his hair on his clothes stick on his skin. It felt as if there was no breathing air in here, even worse than drowning. His eyes ached with the red light and he was forced to keep them closed to prevent them from drying up, yet keeping them closed brought him to tears. It was in one word, unbearable.

And worst of all, he was trapped.

The place Link found himself in was nothing more than a thin stone pillar of red stone, so tall that he could not see its base. From bellow, there was an eerie red glow that was coming, the source of it unseen. Link knew it was lava, but the depth… It was too much. He could see many more pillars in various heights around, but they were too far away to reach. He remembered the sign outside. _Is this seriously Rosso’s mine? There’s got to be more…_ Link started observing the surrounding area, looking for a way to access the other pillars. Soon, Link was greeted with a red, floating platform. _Looks perfect._ He stepped on the platform, which went straight ahead, and started looking around to determine his next step. The platform he was on came to a halt, but Link saw another one approaching way bellow, but in the perfect place for his to jump on it. With no other alternatives, he braced himself for the impact. Link resisted the urge to close his eyes during the fall, but he landed safe and sound on his intended target. “Wow!”. The platform was just a few hundred meters above the sea of lava, but close enough to be able to see it clearly now. It was _endless_ , and the bases of the pillars appeared to be dangerously thin. He could even see the embers that were floating upwards before burning themselves out. However, before Link was able to take in the sights, a Keese attacked him. Link swung around in panic due to his fear of falling off, but the Keese was killed after only a hit or two. “Dear Din… there are _living beings_ in here!?”. He kept his sword ready.

The platform Link was on started moving sideways, to the south, and Link noticed that it was heading straight to the top of one of the pillars ahead. He also noticed two Lynels on it, and two sides of the pillar had walls. _Shit._ Then something elso caught his attention. Behind on of his walls, there was platform with something weird on it. _If I run to the wall and turn into a painting, their attacks won’t get me… It’s worth a shot._ Link did just that. He narrowly dodged the flame balls of the Lynels and moved to the other side of the wall, just in time to land on the platform that caught his interest.

That was one of the weirdest things Link had ever seen. “A… laughing… cushion?”. Sure enough, it was a large, pink cushion made of some rubbery material – at least Link _thought_ it was called that, because he had never seen rubber before – and it was _laughing its head off_. Link stared at it in utter bewilderment. _What am I supposed to do with this?_ The platform kept floating between the pillar from before and the base of some other pillar, and Link just stood there… sweating buckets and trying to figure out what he was supposed to do with it. He poked it with his foot. It definitely looked bouncy, but it also resisted a lot. However, something on the cushion’s, um, _face_ seemed to change. Link decided to take drastic measures; he brought out the hammer. “Heave… HO!”.

The result was instantaneous; the poor cushion sunk into the platform, having turned flat and tiny, blue from its fear, with a heartbroken look on its face. Link almost felt sorry for the poor thing. “Okay… Now what?”. Seconds, later the cushion bounced back. _So much for its suffering_ , was his dry thought. At least, Link now knew what to do with it. After a bit of calculating for the timing, he hammered down the Smiley Cushion and stepped on it. Sure enough, the cushion sent him on top of the next pillar, where he found another one. From above there was a platform floating, and oddly enough, there was a safety rail here. Link hammered down that cushion as well and reached the platform, where he found a _third_ smiley cushion. _Looks like Rosso is pretty fond of them._ He did the same thing with this and with the next platform, which moved in a square, and landed on top of the next pillar. There was nothing but a bit of gold in the rough on it. _So that’s how Rosso is using this place. He’s digging the pillars._ An extremely dangerous tactic, but effective. Link waited for the platform to come back and jumped down.

Link left off at the other pillar and jumped down to a new platform, this one quite a bit slower than the others. Eventually, he returned to the platform with the Lynels, where he once again used his transformation to get to a new platform, this one without a cushion. He exchanged platforms two more times, all the while being careful for the Keese that lurked at this height, only for something new to hit him.

A large black object hit square on Link shield and started grinding against it. In reflex, Link stepped aside and let it go, gasping for breath by the sudden scare. “What in the…”. It was a floating metal spinning wheel with large spikes that was floating back and forth. _What_ is _that thing!? A little bit more and it’d taken my arm off!_ Just right then he was attacked by yet another Keese. Link started sweating from more than just the heat. _I almost got killed right then… I’ve been very lucky so far but I can’t be so careless!_

Suddenly, Link noticed an exit. _Finally!_ He quickly made his way to it.

The dry air and light breeze of Death Mountain felt like heaven. Link could feel his clothes being practically glued on his body. He removed his cap, and soon all the upper layers of his clothes followed, as he started squeezing them dry. He brought out his flask and drank another gulp of water, resisting the burning desire for more. He knew that he would have to get back inside to go back to the Tower of Hera. “Seriously though… How can Rosso _work_ in there? There’s no way he’s Hylian!”.

“HEEEY!”.

“Huh!?”, jumped Link. He looked to his left, only to see a brown-haired man with a red blouse and a sharp nose waving at him. He then realized that the two of them were in the edge of two separate cliffs. “Oh, sorry!”.

“You alright there!?”, shouted the man. However, in spite of his volume, Link could tell that he was exhausted, and very thirsty. _Could that be…_ If he remembered correctly, the letter in the bottle said that the miner was just beyond the Tower of Hera.

“Just a moment!”, Link shouted back. He put his clothes back on, now much drier than before, and turned into a painting to cross the gap. A few seconds later, he presented himself to the man with the small “pop”. “Excuse me, but-”.

“WOAH!”.

“Wah! Sir, you’re okey?”.

“Yes… Sorry, didn’t see that coming.”, he explained, recovering from his shock.

Link rubbed his head awkwardly. “Sorry about that…”.

“I was bouldering just fine when I slipped and fell a couple of days back. I twisted my ankle. Now I’m stuck here. Wish I could pull your trick…”.

_So it_ is _him._ “The earthquake, right?”.

The other man nodded. “You felt that?”.

“The entire Hyrule felt that.”, he replied vaguely. “By the way, I have something for you.”. And with that Link brought out the bottle of still cold – must thank the magic pouch for that – premium milk.

“Hey, guy. W-w-wait! Is that what I THINK it is? **Milk!? Ice-cold milk!** And not just any milk, but some premium milk? GIMME!”. To Link’s astonishment, the man literally _tore_ the bottle out of Link’s hands and gulped the whole thing down in one go. “ **Ahhh!** ”, he let out a satisfied sigh. “That really hit the spot – best milk in the kingdom. Right? Uh, wait. Oops. Did I drink the whole thing? Sorry friend. And after you came all this way.”.

“Never mind.”, Link reassured him. “I found the letter so I bought the milk on my way here…”.

“Well, how about doing me another favour? Here, take this garbage away.”. He handed the bottle to Link. The boy was almost scandalized. _The bottle? GARBAGE!? How dare he! Bottles can be reused countless times!_ Still, a bottle was a good way to apologise.

“Don’t you tell – Any shortcuts to the Tower of Hera? I don’t want to go in there again…”.

“What’s in there?”, asked the man.

“Inferno.”.

“Sorry, guy. Don’t know any other way. First time I’m down at this spot! Can’t help you.”.

“Then how are you going to leave?”.

“Can’t you take me with you?”.

Link thought about it for a second. “Never tried it.”.

“Never mind it, guy. I’ll find a way. Sorry for the bother…”.

“Don’t worry about it. I had stuff to do here anyways.”. He ignored the miner’s surprised expression. “You’d better get out of here quick.”.

“Okay, guy… I’ll try.”.

With a sigh, Link resigned himself for the way back.

* * *

 

A few minutes later, Link was – once again – squeezing his clothes dry. “I am NOT doing this _ever. Again_.”, he declared to the empty room. He was still debating in his head whether he should empty his flask of water here or save it for later. He could just call Irene once he was done here, so there was really no point in saving it, and he was pretty sure that he had sweated WAAAAY too much for it to be safe for his health. _Drink it, it is._ Link quickly downed half the flask. He coughed a couple of times.

_I should look around to see if there’re any other people here. Who knows what’ll happen when I’m done with this Tower._ Nothing had happened with the previous… mazes, but the Tower of Hera had an ominous reputation and was in a dangerous location. And besides, it was the last hiding place of the Pendants of Virtue. Something _ought_ to happen. With that thought, Link braced himself for the assault of Lynels that would follow.

With great caution, Link peeped out of the entrance – or exit, in this case – of Rosso’s mine. Unfortunately, from his point of view he could not see much, but it was enough to know that the Lynels did not have their sights on him. With great caution, Link sneaked around the cave and took a look at the monsters on the other side.

He cursed. Deadrocks, Tektites and Armos, in large numbers and cramped together in a small space. And right there in the middle there was a decorated entrance to another tunnel. _Should I go or not?_ Link knew that he could not take on all of these monsters at once. Armos were fragile but heavy-hitting and relentless. Tektites were sort of squishy, which granted them resistance to sword and arrow attacks – or anything that sliced for that matter – on any body part that was not their eye. Deadrocks only needed one hit to freeze, but they were always running around amock. Armos would not activate unless he got close. He should find a way to prioritize.

_Or I could just run._ Would that work? He had no idea. Then again, if he chose to run, he would also have to run through them on the way back. _Fight it is._

Using the boulders that blocked the way as a cover, Link attacked the first Deadrock, freezing it in place. He proceeded to do the same with the next Deadrock. The monsters had not noticed him. Good. Hammer in hand, he sneaked behind the Tektite and pounded it. It only fell unconscious, so Link stabbed it in the eye, then span around and hit the incoming Deadrock. He dodged the fourth one and ran straight into the Armos, the telltale flash in its eye marking its activation.

Link leaped back and brought up the hammer again, smashing it. A couple of more blows, and the machine laid deformed, freezing the Deadrock in the process.

_Wait, what?_

Inside the Armos, there was a complicated array of intricate gears, and a glowing yellow sphere – Link recognized that as topaz, rumoured to hide the power of lightning. Bronze springs and coils supported the entire system, and pounded against the armour to make it move – or they would, if Link had not just destroyed them.

”No way… Someone _made_ these things? Why?”. This… This was _mind-bending._ Suddenly the abundance in Armos at the Eastern Palace made _a lot more_ sense… There were there as _guardians_. But why? And more importantly, how!? This was a lever of engineering beyond anything he had ever seen! _Except maybe the House of Gales._ Link shook his head, and gathered some of the gears and the sphere into his pouch. He would ask Sahsrahla later. He entered the cave.

What he found inside the cave was just about the last thing he expected. “A thief.”.

The man – dressed in obnoxious combination of a teal blue hood and a mustard tunic – was quick to protest. “I’m not a thief, good sir! I’m a treasure hunter! And that chest over there will make me rich!”.

Link had little doubt about that. The treasure chest in question was in the middle of a very elevated pedestal with pretty much no staircases to climb there, and a complicated fence system behind it. As it was, getting there would be impossible for the thief – er, treasure hunter. _Worth it or not?_

_Not._

“Listen here Mr. Treasure Hunter, I don’t think it’s safe to hunt for treasure in these parts after the earthquake. There could be more to come! I just had to rescue a stranded miner! Get out of here quick.”.

“No! That treasure is mine! There have been empty treasure chests all over the kingdom as of late. Eastern Palace! Lake Hylia! There must be another treasure hunter hereabouts, I’m SURE of it! Wait a minute…”. The treasure hunter narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Perhaps… **_YOU are the treasure hunter!_** ”.

“Yes! I mean, no! You can’t just accuse people!”.

“You admitted it! I heard you!”.

“I _earn_ the Rupees I get! And I _need_ them!”.

“If you _earn_ them, **prove it!** ”.

An idea downed at Link and he smirked. He then put on his most arrogant face. “I don’t need this treasure chest. I will raid the Tower of Hera.”. The treasure hunter let out a faint “what”. “Oh, yes.”, boasted Link. “The very same Tower as the one we are warned about in the legends of old, crawling with monsters and evil! I’m going to search every nook and cranny and take ALL OF THE RUPEES!”.

“noooo…”.

“Good luck getting the treasure!”. And with that he spun on his heel and left, leaving the poor man behind him gawking.

A few close calls with two very annoyed Lynels later – _thank the Goddesses they did not attack me_ – Link was once again standing in front of the gates of the Tower of Hera. Behind him he heard someone running in panic. Link ignored him. He had more important matters in his hands.

With a decisive move, he smashed the logs that blocked the entrance, and walked the long marble bridge to the Tower of Hera.

* * *

 

The first thing he noticed was that the entrance was blocked by a set of smiley cushions. Link smashed them down with his hammer and moved forward.

The floor tiles were made of dark grey stone, while all the walls were built with red bricks, unbelievably smooth and pristine. A glowing blue sphere was right behind them, surrounded by some sort of crystal pillars with steel decoration that had the exact same glow; they were far too smooth for him to attempt to climb them. He passed his hand over them and found the texture… bizarre. It was not smooth enough to be glass or crystal, and the temperature was just off, as if it was blocking the heat from the light. His sword would not be able to dent this, and the hammer would just bounce off. Taking a guess, he hit the orb with his sword. The orb switched colour and turned red, bringing a harsh light to Link’s eyes. The pillars fell, suddenly devoid of light.

Nearby there was an identical orb with pillars that blocked the way, these ones glowing red. Link realized what the whole gig was. _The orbs are switches._ He hit the orb and it turned blue, the pillars falling and reverting to a dull red. Right behind those, there were monsters. In a hurry, Link hit the orb, stopping them from reaching him.

Link quickly consulted him mental encyclopedia of monsters. That was a pair of Terrorpins. The name made little sense, seeing that they did not resemble pins at all. They were turtle-like creatures with dark red shells that were absolutely invulnerable, and their glowing eyes were hidden inside. As soon as they spotted a target, they were relentless in their pursuit. Now how to beat them…

Invulnerable shells meant a soft underside, but Terrorpins were heavy. He would not be able to flip them over with his sword on the fly. That only left the hammer. He would have to pound it on the ground and hope the impact was strong enough. _But am I strong enough to do that?_ Only one way to find out. Link hit the switch, and readied the hammer.

He smashed the hammer against the floor with all his strength, almost lifting himself in the air. He felt the ground tremble. He could swear he saw a flash of purple come from the impact. Magic. _That’s where the force came from_. The Terrorpins turned upside down, and struggled to get to their stubby little feet. _Now’s my chance_. Moving like lightning, Link stabbed them both in the gut.

With the danger gone, Link fell on his knees, his breath labored. _That took all of my strength, even_ with _the magic of Ravio’s hammer. And I’m already exhausted from climbing up the mountain…_ There was a pattern in the “mazes” he noticed now. The Eastern Palace was a test of his bravery, with its bottomless pits, surrounded by traps there was no escape from, to test if he would run away. The House of Gales was a test of his intelligence, to wrap his head about all the mechanisms behind the fans and how they fit together to move forward. And the Tower of Hera… When the legends said that only the strongest would survive it, they meant it literally. It was a test of strength, to see if he could make it on top of Death Mountain and still have the strength to continue.

Bravery, Intelligence and Strength.

_Courage, Wisdom and Power._

_… What have I gotten myself into?_

Link stood back on his feet, watching the golden light come through the window. The bars reminded him of a prison. There were creepy masks hanging on the wall again. There was an elevated part of the floor at the left corner, on the same height as the barred window, surrounded by smiley cushions. Link pushed them down with his hammer and stepped on top, allowing them to push him up once they reverted. Recalling previous experience, He turned into a painting and slipped through the bars. Sure enough, there was a balcony with a small treasure chest. It contained a purple rupee. _Looks like I get to keep my promise to the thief after all_. A good thing too, because he needed the rupees.

_... I honestly never thought there’d be a day when I’d be gathering rupees like a tax inspector._

Link gazed down bellow, and he regretted it immediately. The heat in his face nearly cut his breath, and the red smoke was so thick it was impossible to see the bottom. _They built the Tower in the middle of a lava pit. Great._ Something told him that it was not always that way, but his point still stood. Shaking his head at the mess that his life had become, he went back inside.

Link noticed that the floor alongside the walls was also elevated, and so he made his way there. There were black spiked wheels on the floors, with glowing blue rings on them that were called blade traps. The spikes would surely cost a grown man his legs, but Link’s ability rendered them trivial. He reached the end of the room, where he found a giant cushion. The reason for its placement was blatandly obvious. _On to the next floor it is_. Link slammed it down, making a show of ignoring its heart-broken expression, and let the raucous laughter guide him up.

The next floor turned out not to be a floor at all. It was a rusted metal fence, with some grey… structure at one corner, a gap in the middle, another one to the left corner and too many Hardhat Beetles. Hardhat Beetles resembled squids more than anything, but they hat big round shells that protected them from most attacks, because they were absurdly bouncy. These ones were fortunately of the blue variety, so they were weaker, but stll. Too many. The best strategy in this case was to knock them off the fence. The grey structure was very helpful in this, as it bounced off anything that fell on it. Link decided to call it a bumper.

Once the fence was cleared, Link took a peek through the hole in the middle. There was a small platform with a treasure chest there, and a good sized cushion that would surely fly him back up. Link jumped down, and his finding made him smile. A magic compass. Now he would know where to go even if he could not see the exits. _That was easy._

Back on the fence, Link headed towards the other giant cushion he spotted, and bounced to the third floor. He arrived on a small platform surrounded by glowing blue pillars, but he spotted an orb at the corner, so he merged with the pillars and crossed the gap, the hit the orb with his sword. The orb turned red, the pillars went down, and Link was greeted by a Moldrom. “Just great.”. He crouched down and hacked away. A few moments later the Moldrom was dead. He noted the elevated platform in the middle of the room. “Worth checking out, but to get there…”.

An idea flashed in his mind. He stood on the collapsed pillars and hit the orb. The pillars brought him on the same level with the platform. “A small key!”. That was a good sign of progress! Looking across the room, he spotted a locked door framed by two staircases, but he could get there from here. Looking down, he saw three Moldroms, two orbs and several pillars. “No other choice.”. Link dropped to the floor, isolated two of the Moldroms, and took them down one by one, but not without accidents. “I’m going to have a magnificent bruise tomorrow…”. He ran up the staircase, hoping the third Moldrom would notice him, unlocked the door, dashed through it.

He almost got killed.

“ **Wooooaaaah!** ”. Link caught himself the last moment. The door had led him outside, to a tiny balcony much like the previous one. In his hurry, he almost fell to his death. _Note to self: never dash through a door – even if there’s a Lynel behind you_. A few moments later, he was greeted by a floating platform. With no other way to go, Link climbed on the platform and readied his sword. He already knew that abandoned places like this were full with airborne monsters. Sure enough, he had barely made the turn before he was attacked by a couple of crows.

Link absolutely _loathed_ flying monsters. They were always hiding at the most inconvenient and dangerous locations just _begging_ for some poor adventurer to come so they would attack them and throw them off whatever platform or ledge they were standing on the throw them on the whatever pit out of hell! And now he was ranting.

As the platform circled around the walls of the Tower – Link was impressed at how high he was – he spotted a wall sliding right over the platform, no leaving room for even an ant to stand on. _Well, I don’t need **any** room_. As soon as the platform made contact with the wall, Link merged with it and waited for the platform to come out from the other side.

_Looks like the Tower of Hera really was designed to be impenetrable. This trap right now can throw anyone back on the bridge – if they’re lucky._

At the west side of the palace, Link noticed two small balconies and two floating red cubes that would allow him to reach the one that was higher. Knowing this was his way back inside, Link merged with one of the cubes and let it carry him up. He now was on the fourth floor.

Once he stepped inside, Link was greeted by shadow, more glowing pillars, and two Stalfos. Link smashed their bones with the hammer, making sure there was nothing more than dust left, and then turned to the currently blue orb at the corner. There were probably more monsters behind the pillars. _I’m ready for them_. Link slashed the orb.

“Moldroms!”. Three of them and in a really confined and dark place. _Can’t let them surround me_. He slammed his back against the wall and waited for a Moldrom to come towards his direction. The first one easily fell in his spontaneous trap, but the other two did not approach him at all. Link debated ignoring them for a moment, but he decided not to. After a few minutes or running around a chasing them, a breathless Link approached the huge smiley cushion that was hidden behind the pillars.

Fifth floor. Fortunately, a window at the east provided him with light – not too much though because the sun was at a weird angle at this time of the day. In front of him were glowing red pillars and a matching orb. Apprehensive of what was behind it, Link hit the switch… only to reveal _blue_ pillars. Link was stumped for a moment but then he stood on the red pillars, hit the switch, and suddenly he was the one at the higher ground. Behind the blue pillars was a small treasure chest. It only had a blue rupee inside, but Link took it anyways.

Once again Link slipped through the bars of the window, and ended up in a situation much like the previous one; standing on a platform that was cruising around the Tower. However, this time the route was interrupted by blade traps, but Link though it would be easy to dodge them; until the wall pushed out of nowhere.

In his shock, it was only sheer reflex that saved Link from falling to hid death, and it was only reflex that saved him from the blade traps with the complex patterns that followed. At the last moment possible Link noticed the floating boxes that led to the next floor, much like last time. _That was close_. This time however, the layout of the balcony was quite a bit more complicated. There were hidden crevices in the wall that contained rupees; Link only noticed them when he got to the balcony itself because of the fence that was used as a floor. Link spent a few more minutes gathering those, and then some more waiting for him magic to refill. _I really should be more careful with that_.

He was finally at the sixth floor. The heat had considerably lessened now, for which Link was grateful. However, he did not dare to look down. He knew he was **very** high up. Instead, he entered the new floor.

The door behind him slammed closed. Clattering noises filled the large room. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing.

_Red Stalfos_. There was one major difference between Red Stalfos and regular Stalfos. The red ones could magically conjure bones that acted as boomerangs. There were no tricks here. Just _fight_.

Link dashed towards the first skeleton he found, slicing his way through. The monster jumped to dodge it, but Link kept pushing it to the corner. With it unable to dodge, Link finally severed its spine and broke its skull. That was when something powerful slammed at his back, sending him stumbling forwards. Link used the wall to steady himself, then turned around. With a thought he summoned his bow from his pouch and shot two arrows towards his assailant. The skeleton was surprised by the first one, but it sidestepped the second. Link greeted his teeth, but he took advantage of the distraction. He made a run for the stalfos, dodged an incoming bone from behind, and _attacked_. The downwards slice was enough to turn it in fragments.

_Three left._

Link swung his sword to the far left, ruining the skeleton right behind him.

_Two._

He jumped backwards to avoid an incoming bow, then nocked an arrow, followed by a few more. The last ones hit their target.

_One._

Link brandished his sword and ran after it, even pulling the strange spinning attack he did back at the House of Gales.

_Zero._

With that, the boy finally fell on his knees. His breathing was ragged, even more so than before. He was covered in sweat everywhere, and his left hand was hurting – he had almost pulled a muscle back then. The pain from the bone that he could not feel earlier came back at full force, making him unwilling to move. The rush of adrenaline had cost him almost all of his stamina. Link took his flash out of his bag and downed another gulp of water. There was not much left now.

After a few minutes – or was in more? – Link stood up and gazed around the room, examining the shattered bones around him. “Rest in pieces.”.

A noise caught his attention; it was the sound of grinding stone. Link saw that a part of the floor was not floor at all, but rather some kind of a box that slid up and down. _Is that an elevator?_ Link had heard of them before but it had been a rather fleeting interest. What he was more curious about was how this elevator was sliding up and down _without any kind of support_. “There’s probably some mechanism in the wall.”, he reasoned.

After a bit of debate, Link waited for the elevator to go down before he positioned himself on top of it. He had already noticed the opening on the ceiling. A few seconds later, the elevator rose up.

Seventh floor.

Thankfully he caught sight of the lone Terrorpin as he was coming up, so he had no trouble dispatching it. The room was divided by glowing pillars, so Link hit the switch and fended off the Hardhat Beetle that was right behind them. Still, he could not shake the feeling that there was something wrong.

His foot got caught in one of the tiles. Link looked down in surprise. “They’re broken?”. It made sense. The Tower was old, there was no way it was still pristine after so many centuries. He ignored it.

A couple of switches and a Hardhat Beetle later, Link found himself in front of the door… which was locked. “What did I miss…”. He had gone through every inch of the Tower so far and there was no sign of a key. Except… He looked over at the broken tiles again. _Woth a shot_. Careful not to stand on them, he brought down the hammer. Sure enough, the tiles did break, and Link took a peek inside. It was an elevated platform of the previous floor, with a key carelessly laying on it and a large smiley cushion. Sighing in relief, Link leaped down and retrieved it. “I was afraid I’d have to go through the whole Tower again for a moment.”.

Once again, Link found himself on a balcony, this one on the west side. Next to it there was a floating platform with a large cushion on it. _Just like Rosso’s mine_. As soon as it turned around the corner, the platform stopped, and Link jumped to the ninth floor. He would have gone straight to the tenth, but the he noticed a ledge with a treasure chest and… a purple pot? “What’s this?”.

Link let himself drop and opened the treasure chest. “A silver rupee!”. He then turned to the pot. There was a strange purple liquid in it, opaque and glimmering. He took hold of it in his hands and suddenly he felt his scar tingle a bit. Link squinted at the contents. _A magic potion. But what for?_ He thought about it for a moment. _I can ask Irene’s grandmother to examine it_. He carefully poured its contents in his bottle. He noticed that its smell was spicy and sweet, but also a bit rotten.

Link merged with the wall and returned to the previous balcony, and this time he went to the tenth floor. Once again, the door behind him slammed closed. However, this time there were no enemies around. _Did I hit a dead end?_ He then heard the sound of stone sliding, and then air whipping. _What was that?_ An object was right at his nose.

“ **The TILES!?** ”. His shout was muffled by his hands as they went up to protect his head at the last possible moment. Link cowered behind his shield a braced himself as he felt the impact of the flying stone tiles. After a while, the attacks stopped. Link waited for a few more moments. “Is it over?”, he asked the empty space. He rose on his feet and looked around. It would appear that it was.

“What the HELL, Din!? Even the **_floor_** is trying to kill me!”. Groaning in exasperation, Link once again checked the floor. The flying stone tiles had revealed a set of red ones hidden underneath, identical to the ones covering the floating platforms and boxes. The platform floated high and the air to reveal… a fairy fountain.

Link was astonished. A fairy fountain? **Inside** the Tower of Hera? “Thank the goddesses!”. Link fell through the opening – it occurred to him that this was the eighth floor – and giggled as the fairies danced around him. Their glowing trails of dust took away the pain in his arms and his back, as well as many other aches and bruises that he had not even noticed. He felt his thirst and his sweat evaporate, and he was once again filled with energy. “Fairies are incredible…”.

Feeling much better than he did a moment prior, Link examined the treasure chest at the corner. He grinned upon seeing the purple rupee.  He also noticed a strange tile at the corner. Instead of being made of stone, this one was glowing in a hypnotic golden pattern. That was when he realized that he had no way out. Link took his chances and stepped on it. A strange buzzing filled his ears and his vision blurred. And suddenly, he was back in the room he had come from. Link blinked. He had just _teleported_. “Amazing.”, he breathed.

The platform was still cruising up and down. Link stepped on it and went up. He was finally on the tenth floor.

The “floor” in question was actually a metal fence in the shape of a cross with bumpers at each end, _four_ crystal orbs that were there for no apparent reason and several Hardhat Beetles. The combination of the bussers and the beetles in such a location made for a tricky fight as Link had to take into account the recoil from each of his attacks. Finally, the fence was cleared and Link was left wondering what to do with the orbs. Unlike the previous ones, these ones were not glowing at all. Their colour was a dull blue, Link noted. He decided to hit the orbs and see what happened. The orbs shone a brilliant turquoise, nothing like the ones from earlier, and Link was greeted by the now familiar sound of a platform elevating. It was at the northeast side of the room, with a large cushion laughing manically. Link grinned at his small achievement and made his was to the eleventh floor.

He found himself on a large inner balcony. In front of the balcony was a large floating platform with two large smiley cusions left and right, and two ledges on each side. Link decided to check out the east one first.

It was a huge treasure chest. Link _knew_ what this meant. He slowly lifted the heavy lid open and reached for its contents. A single golden key decorated with horns. _I’m close._

On the other ledge was the door.

Link gazed down at the mat bemused. It was quite strange to see a red carpet in a place like this, even if it was decorated with a goat skull. “Welcome to your doom, I guess.”. He slid the key in the lock, and it dissolved, the heavy gates opening on their own.

The door led outside. Balconies at different levels, the one higher than the other, equipped with smiley cushions. There was only one way to go: up.

He was finally on the final floor. The very top of the Tower of Hera. There were various blade traps spinning around, casting a royal blue afterglow in their path, but they did not get in his way. The view was spectacular.

Link had thought that from the top of the Eastern Palace and from Irene’s broom, he could see the entire land of Hyrule. How wrong he had been. This… This was literally above the clouds. The dying sunlight casted a golden glow on them, almost blinding in their majesty. Soft shades of yellow, orange and lavender danced around the sun, while at the exact opposite direction the first stars had started to appear. It was still far too early for the sky to turn dark and the sun to touch the horizon. Bellow, the waters of Hyrule sparkled in a way that was invisible from up close – they were more like dancing silver. The fields appeared emerald and the houses were smaller that dots. And the castle… A magnificent white jewel in the distance. _Princess._

There were smiley cushions around the corners of the Tower. Link took the invitation.

The place he landed on… was a fence. A thick fence which covered a relatively small area in the shape of a square with its corners cut. There was another square gap on the fence, not quite in the middle but a little more to the left. And finally… there was a giant. Yellow. _Bumpy_. **Thing**.

Then its eyes opened. Its crazed, yellow and purple, hypnotic eyes. And then, against all laws of nature, it _unfurled_. It _pulsed_. Fumes escaped the underside of its body.

The expression on Link’s face must have been comical. In a perfectly flat voice, he stated the obvious. “It’s a Giant Moldrom.”.

_SHIT._

No sooner had he thought that that the Moldrom launched itself to the edge of the fence. “How am I supposed to beat THAT!?”.

_THISFOEHASA **WEAKNESS** STAYPATIENT-_

_What was that?_ Preoccupied with his thoughts, Link was too distracted to notice the giant yellow blob heading towards him. Before Link knew what was happening, he flew of the fence and back to the roof.

_Somehow, I_ knew _this would happen._

Link groaned in pain. The impact of landing on his back after such a high fall was unlike any other. He felt like paste! Link had never been able to make sense out of that phrase before, but now he could. _I should just lay here for a moment… or forever…_ But he could not do that. He had already reached the top, and he had a giant worm to slay. Looking from bellow through the fence, he saw that the Giant Moldrom had resumed to hibernating. _At least it won’t be pissed off at me from the get-go…_

Link finally got up, and he was ready to return to the top when a whirling sound stopped him in mid step. Instead of putting his foot down, he instead looked at the ground around him. He was surrounded by blade traps.

Stepping around the lethal wheels more carefully than he would on burning coal, Link eventually returned to the pillow. He sharply released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. _Had I fallen_ just _a bit more to the left…_ He could not fully form the mental image in his mind. He was certain that would be a bad idea.

Steeling himself, he made his way to the top.

…except that the second time around did not end much better.

_At least I fell on the pillow_. Said pillow in question bounced him right back.

This time, Link was ready for it. He drew he sword and with a decisive move he slashed the tail end of the monstrous worm. ”THAT’S the weak point!”. Unfortunately for Link, said weak point turned out not to be so weak after all, because the tail slapped Link right off the platform.

Link gazed up in the sky with a blank look on his face.

_This is going to take a while._

* * *

 

~ _Attempt Number 5_ ~

The previous time Link had managed to slash the glowing end of Moldrum’s tail twice. His previous fall – the exception of the first one – had left him unscathed, so this time he had a good advantage over the beast.

At least he thought so until he saw that the tail was spotless.

“It can _heal itself_?”.

**_SMAAAASH!!!_ **

* * *

 

~ _Attempt Number 8_ ~

“Next time, stay away from the hole in the middle, _please_.”.

* * *

 

~ _Attempt Number 11_ ~

“Arrows are a bad idea.”.

* * *

 

~ _Attempt Number 12_ ~

“Bombs are a very, **VERY** bad idea.”. He then proceeded to melt on the floor.

* * *

 

~ _Attempt Number 16_ ~

“Trying to do that spin attack thing doesn’t work. Waiting in a single spot for it to come does _NOT work_. And for that matter, there are no safe spots.”.

Link took a deep breath.

“When I see the architect that designed this place, _I’ll **kill him**_.”.

* * *

 

~ _Attempt Number 17_ ~

“Running is a very good idea.”. Finally, Link felt like he had a basis. At least he would not fall every forty seconds now.

* * *

 

~ _Attempt Number 25_ ~

“Note to self: Giant Moldroms cannot be trapped unless they somehow trap themselves.”.

For the last few minutes – or maybe many minutes for Link had completely lost his sense of time – the young swordsman had been trying to trap the Giant Moldrom in that narrow area between the gap in the middle and the northwest gap. He had hoped that the smaller area would make access to the creature’s tail easier. So far, he had not been able to test that theory because the Moldrom would not visit that spot all that often, and even if it did, it would rarely manage to get itself stuck in there. The few times that it did, the Moldrom had been able to untangle itself without much fuss, before Link was able to land a hit on it.

Overall, Link had not been able to successfully attack the Moldrom too many times. In spite of using every trick he could think of, the monster’s sheer power, speed and unpredictable nature meant that it could – and would – turn every sort of strategy around its head.

The sun had started to set properly. And Link was left with only one solution.

To keep trying.

* * *

 

After that, everything turned into a blur. Link would chase the Giant Moldrom’s tail around the platform, and would be able to land a number of hits on its tail before he was knocked off the fence again. Link had made a point of avoiding the large hole in the middle so that the blade traps would not get in his way.

However, Link did not escape unscathed. With each fall, his bruises and the pain in his bones and joints only grew. With each attempt, his muscles burned more and his breath grew more labored. His head was swimming, and his vision was growing blurry. In spite of the falling temperature, he was covered in cold sweat, and the remains of his water flask had already been downed.

With each hit Link landed, the monster would only get faster. The impact of its body was enough to knock his breath out of him with the force of a hammer.

There was no guarantee for it, but he knew all the same. This would be his last attempt.

Link took a few deep breaths. Breathe in. Breathe out. Slowly, he heard the buzzing in his ears fading away, and his headache slowly subside. The pain in his muscles was harder to get rid of, but Link did not allow himself to relax completely. He knew that if he did, he would collapse, and that was not something he could afford to do. Link drew his sword, and headed to the pillow. It was time to end this.

The monster was still with its eyes closed, just like all the previous times. As soon as Link landed on the platform, its hypnotic glowing orbs snapped open, and it started to move. Link ran right towards it. At the perfect moment, he struck. The beast recoiled to itself in pain.

The Moldrom headed to the narrow part of the fence, and Link followed it. A few more hits. Two of them landed on its armored shell. The third one was true on its target. Link immediately backed off. The Moldrom had trapped itself in the narrow, and after it wrenched itself free, it headed right back in. The third attack was almost easy.

The beast was now faster. It did not matter to Link. It had stretched itself and that meant that its weak spot was wide open. A fourth attack. And right after it, a fifth.

The Giant Moldrom was now at its fastest, and its most dangerous. As soon as it turned around, it knocked Link right off his feet. Link got up and set himself to chasing it, but he could not keep up. Before the boy even knew what happened, the monster had slammed head-first into him. For a few disoriented moments, Link’s eyesight had gone blank. He did not allow himself any rest as he got right back on his feet. Somewhere in the confusion, he managed to land his sixth strike. And he was immediately swept aside by the giant body.

Link was now at the edge of the inner gap, and one thread away from defeat.

The Giant Moldrom was heading right towards him. The next seconds happened in a flash.

Link sidestepped. He dashed forward. He brought his sword down. And he _hit_. The monster _howled_.

And that was when Link knew… it was over.

He won.


	8. Legacy

Consciousness came to him slowly. It was a shift in his stance. It was the fluttering of the eyelids, though he did not understand it at first; his surroundings were hardly any brighter than the shadows behind his eyes. A silver flutter of wings was the only hint that indicated a change.

For a moment, Link was disoriented. He sat upright, unstable at first but that was a given considering how deeply he slept. He let his gaze wonder around him, and the first thing he saw beyond darkness was a bright flash right at his nose.

“Ah!”.

In his surprise, he almost smacked the fairy away, before he realized what he had been doing.

“What the… I’m still at the Tower? What time is it?”. Of course, the fairy could not answer. It was impossible to tell what time it was – everything was pitch dark, and the moon was high in the sky. Link had never been up at night before – or at any time after the sun set for that matter – so he had no idea what the current position of the moon meant. Link only figured out one thing; it was _late_.

 _I have to find the Master Sword…_ Surprisingly, his wounds did not hurt him at all. _The fairies must have healed me._ He had forgotten about them in the heat of the battle, but he was grateful. A few feet further from his position, he could see a floating red sphere. The Pendant of Power. It was calling out to him.

Shakily, Link got to his feet and wobbled to the Pendant. It was warm in his touch, like a pleasant flame. It reminded him of the heat in the forge. He carefully tucked it in his magic bag along with the Pendant of Wisdom. It was time.

Somewhere in the back of his head, the little voice of reason yelled at him for how he was planning to descend the Tower of Hera in complete darkness, much less _the entire Death Mountain_. But Link was not concerned. Somehow, he was confident. He could do this. Right now, there was no doubt in his mind that he could do this. It was unreasonable to think that way but it just _was_.

With completely calm moves, as if he was not doing anything out of the ordinary, he pulled the Tornado Rod from his pouch. He allowed himself a wild grin. And he jumped.

**“WOHOOOOOO!!!!!”.**

For a few seconds the fall was _exhilarating._ The air whistled through his ears, the temperature seemed to fall from hot to cold into seconds, and he felt weightless. It was amazing. Unfortunately the drop was far too short for him to properly enjoy it, so he activated the Tornado Rod to slow his fall.

The sudden transition from free falling to gently floating to the ground felt like a punch to his gut. He landed on his knees gasping for air; his eyes were already watering from the drop earlier.

Once he regained his breath and wiped his tears, he realized that his leggings had been torn at the knees. Overall, he was actually really dirty.

_Oh well. I’ll probably have to swim on my way to the Master Sword._

Link suddenly realized how absurd that thought was. He was right at the top of Death Mountain, having just **jumped** from the _freaking Tower of Hera_ , was on his way to retrieve THE most legendary weapon, and he was worried about the dust on his clothes.

When had his life become like that?

He wondered if things were like this for The Hero of Legend. Was he suddenly thrown into battle with next to no warning? The legends of old said absolutely nothing about him or his life or even his name! Just that he had “humble beginnings”. That actually summed up his own situation pretty well.

He had to leave.

Link briefly considered calling Irene but immediately banished that thought from his mind. It was _far_ too early for that. If he called her this early in the morning for the _second_ time around, she would probably muster all her energy to kill him. No, he would have to go down by himself.

He could already tell this was a bad idea. However, he had to brave through.

He devoted a prayer to the bird statue at the entrance. _Goddesses, give me your strength._

* * *

Climbing down the mountain was terrifying. The only light was the dull red glow of the fumes around him. The faint rays of dawn only made it worse, giving that dust an ethereal glow, blinding him at the worst possible moments. The monsters were asleep, for the most part. He could see the glowing eyes of the Lynels staring at him, but not chasing. It was nerve-wrecking. He could feel their gazes piercing holes through his back; his breath was caught on his throat, a dull ache. It would not leave him for a while.

The mountain was still awake. The rockfall had not stopped all night, and it was not going to do so any time soon. Time had no meaning for Death Mountain. In the silence of the ancient volcano, the echo and the tremors were more deafening than ever. His own breath was too loud in his ears. The wind was pressuring his head from the inside, making his eyes water. As if the exhaustion was not enough.

He thought about lighting his lantern to better see what was in front of him, but the mountain would not allow him such luxury. All its light did was blind him even more and hide the path at the distance.

He had to meld into the walls more times than he could count. The treacherous path did not even grant him the luxury of stopping for a moment to regain his breath. He only vaguely realized that he ended up in the fairy fountain. Their magic felt like cool and refreshing water to his tired body. Small miracles. He was grateful. With their urging he filled his bottles with water and a new fairy. He still had a long way to go.

Thankfully he did not have to go through the lava cave this time. He wondered if the miner from earlier had made it out. He hoped so. The odds were not exactly in his favour.

The next time he stopped was at the rupee mines. A thought passed flew through his mind – to stay for a while and fill his wallet – but he quickly smoldered it. He had gathered a lot of money on the Tower. He could not waste any time.

When he finally made it to the lower mines, the sun was well high of the horizon. That made the contrast between light and darkness all the more jarring. The Keese were still in there.

 _Just a bit more_.

The thought forcefully reminded him of his exhaustion. His limps felt like lead. His throat was dry. He spared a gulp of water to quench his thirst. His muscles were burning, they felt like stone and needles. His stomach was torturing him. When was the last time he had eaten? Yesterday morning? He could not complete his thought.

He had to stop somewhere and rest. No, he had to get to the Master Sword. But he had to rest.

He emerged through the cave. He could see Rosso’s house in the distance. The windows were lit.

_Almost… There…_

Black.

* * *

Green.

The inside of his eyelids was green. He slowly opened his eyes. Just trying to blink was painful; he felt as if some invisible weight was forcing them closed. His vision was foggy and even as it cleared it did not get much better.

Then he realized that there was actually fog. Everything had taken a dull green glow. What time was it? There were no shadows, but it was nowhere close to bright enough for noon…

Next to him was a pile of apples. He took one and started chewing without thinking. The cool sweetness brought him back to his senses.

He was sitting on the grass. There were trees and bushes around him everywhere, it was foggy and he could barely see beyond ten paces. Ahead was a hollow tree trunk, fallen down, taller than him or any adult.

_I’ve been here before._

The thought jolted him. Where had _that_ come from? No… wait…

He did not remember it all that clearly but… Yes, now he remembered. He had been just a kid back then, right? Yes, that was it… He had visited this place as a child… Out to gather berries. He always liked to explore. He had gotten lost and then he ran into that strange man… He had been friendly and he had a really wide smile… But Link was… scared? Yes, he was scared… He had this huge sack on his back with a whole bunch of faces… Faces? No, they were masks. Yes, he was sure of it.

He had given him one of them.

_“This is a very precious mask. Dangerous! Very dangerous! CATASTROPHIC! You must keep it in your care! Please, I beg of you! You must never leave it off your eyes or ELSE!”._

He did not remember what had happened next. There was a huge gap in his memory.

And so Link had hanged the mask on his wall and did his best to forget about it. He tried to dismiss the mysterious man as one of the many odd merchants that found their way here from the south. Not that he was able, given that it was the strangest thing in his room. He could swear that its eyes were observing him at all times.

Something inside him was whispering that he was missing more. Whispers of songs…? Playing? Doors? What-what was this place? How did he end up here? The last thing he remembered was getting out of the cave at the base of the mountain…

A wooden sign caught his eye. Finishing his apples, he got off his feet – marveling at how easy the task was after yesterday’s? fighting – and read it. _“Lost Woods ahead! Stay out!”._

Had he been holding anything, he would have dropped it. The Lost Woods? _That’s-_

A splitting headache interrupted his thoughts. It felt like a stab through his mind. Link waited for it to clear before trying to gather his thoughts again.

The Lost Woods. That was one of the most feared places in Hyrule along with the Tower of Hera. Those who had gotten lost in here never returned. At least, that was what the legend said. Very few were the people who even dared to approach this place. The outskirts of the Kakariko Forest and that was that. This place was full of monsters.

Except that it was not. Not right now. In fact, Link realized that he had not seen anything move while he was here. All he could hear was the occasional rustling of leaves. No sign of movement was visible through the greenish mist.

The legends surrounding the Lost Woods spoke of countless secrets hidden in its depths. About ghosts, ruins, artifacts… Haunted and bewitched, enough to drive any man insane. Yet now it was deserted. The only path open was the hollowed tree trunk. He could not see what laid on the other end.

Almost subconsciously, he took a step forward. And then another one. And a third. Before he knew it, he was at the entrance. His steps let light thumps against the moist wood of the makeshift tunnel.

Ghosts.

Link stopped. Floating off the ground, shorter than him, wearing green tattered cloaks and holding lanterns that glowed with a strange blue light. Beneath the cloaks he could make out their legs; naked other than their green shoes, and very much normal, if not taking into account how they grew transparent at the ends.

_…Children?_

“Hree hee hee! Welcome to the Lost Woods!”.

The sudden laughter surprised his breath out of him. It was grating at his ears, yet confirmed his suspicion. They did sound like children.

Which one of them had spoken? Link could make out a moving figure way in the back. The mist made it too hard to see clearly.

“These woods will make you get lost forever! But only if you’re an adult! If you’re a kid, they’ll just trick you into going back the way you came!”. That would have been a cause of relief if not for the fact that there was literally no other way. “But all hope is not lost! There is a secret path through these woods that leads really, really deep! If you can follow me then you can walk a little deeper.”.

Follow it?

“Watch carefully!”. And in front one very confused Link, all the ghost performed a dance and switched places, before they all took to different directions.

Crap. This was like the cups and balls game. He had to keep track of the right one – the ghost that had spoken to him. Which direction had it taken off to? Link had been staring but the green cloaks blended in with the fog and…

Link shook his head. This was not the time to stand around confused. He carefully tried to reply the dance in his head. If his guess was right then the leader headed through…

The trunk straight ahead.

Link walked – or more accurately jogged – through the hollowed trunk to find himself in a new clearing. The only other path was a fallen trunk to his left. _Looks like this place is full of them._ Absentmindedly, Link noticed that it was getting darker.

Link found himself in another clearing, on top of a short but steep slope. The ghosts were waiting down bellow. It would be an easy jump, but climbing back would be impossible. Still, there was no other choice. Link slid down and stood in front of them.

“Oh. Well done.”. It was impossible to tell which one had spoken, but it sounded disappointed at his success, like a toddler who lost at hide and seek. Next two voices spoke up, two ghosts at his right. Link could only tell because they both started waving their lanterns around.

“That was fun, but now we’re going to MISLEAD you. Now two of us will bounce around.”. Link paid apt attention. “So **don’t** follow us, or you’ll wind up back at the start!”. Link nodded to himself. “Hree hee hee! Think you can get it right? Let’s go!”.

The ghosts started their dance again. Normally, keeping track of them would be very easy, but the fog made visibility almost impossible.

All the ghosts split up in three paths. Link briefly debated with himself before going down to the path that was at his left.

This clearing was much, much larger and the new trunk did not make much sense. Not that he could see it, but by its placement he was pretty sure that would lead him to the second clearing. Which by all right should not be connected with this one. Or would it be the first? Was he running around in circles? Were the ghosts tricking him in general?

Link took some deep breaths, trying to calm down. He had no choice but to keep going forward.

The ghosts were there, standing in a clearing that looked identical to the first one. Link’s suspicions of running around in circles only intensified, but he could not afford to get distracted now.

The ghosts cheered. “Ooooh, very good! You’re really good at puzzles!”. “Yeah, he keeps winning!”. “He’s always been pretty good!”. “That’s true.”.

Wait, _what?_

“Oh, very well done!”. All the ghost children fell silent. “Hmph.”. Link felt like the ghost was gauging him up. Something in its attitude seemed familiar, but Link could not point out what. He had met someone who acted like that before, had he not? Someone who kept snorting at him in disapproval. “I guess it’s time to REALLY stump you!”.

Link was already familiar with the drill. The three ghosts way in the back started waving around their lanterns to catch his attention. “Now three of us will bounce around! Don’t follow us! Better not fail, you hear me!? Do not fail!”.

This time the dance was simpler than the last one, but it had left Link scratching his head. The only direction the three ghosts had _not_ headed to was the one _right behind him_. Exactly where he came from. Were they testing his patience? That made no sense!

Link was slowly growing aggravated, but he spun on his heel and marched back to the previous trunk.

Only to end up in a completely new clearing that had nothing to do with the previous one.

“Huh!?”.

This-this made no sense. How was it even possible? Link smacked himself in the forehead. Right. Magic. He had no idea why he kept questioning these things.

Link slowly walked to the new trunk. He could swear that the air was clearer here. He stepped through the tree trunk, wondering what he would find there.

Upon stepping out, he had to cover his eyes. It was bright here. The fog was gone. Link could hear life all around him. The birds were singing and sitting on the branches and the grass, foxes, rabbits and squirrels of strange colours were running around without chasing each other, paying him not mind. The ghosts were floating in front of him, blocking the view ahead. The warm rays of the sun made in clear how immaterial they were; only their cloaks were visible now.

“Hree hee hee! You’re as good at games as we remember! You’ve always solved all the puzzles! We’ve kept your stuff safe for you so go and get it, okay? Bye!”.

They vanished in thin air, leaving Link perplexed. What did they mean? Did he somehow know them? Had he met them before when he met that weird mask man? No, that could not be right; he could swear that he had not seen anyone in the forest that day other than him, that much was clear. Were they messing with him? _Why did they seem so familiar?_

A bird perched on his head, waking him off his stupor. Did he really stand still for that long? He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts, and the bird flew off. Link gazed at the sight ahead, his view finally unobstructed.

Before his was a pillar of golden sunlight, cutting through the thin remnants of the silver fog and the shades of the leaves. The lush greenness paled at the sight in front of him. The sunlight shone down a large stone pedestal; it felt ancient yet it seemed untouched by time. Three pillars stood around it, forming a triangle.

But all of this was unimportant. Only the center of the pedestal mattered. The breathtaking sight. It stood proud, peaceful, grand and intimidating in its deceptive plainness, its mere presence more than enough to make up for the lack of decoration. A work of art that no mortal blacksmith would ever be able to approach, much less imitate it. It seemed to glow with its own light.

The Master Sword. A legend among legends. An artifact more revered that the Triforce itself. The holy sword that the Hero of Legend had once wielded to shield the world from evil in a bygone era.

Link was mesmerized. When did he get so close to it? Its handle was made of metal in a purple shade, reminding Link of wings spreading wide, decorated with a single amber stone. The hilt was crisscrossed with bright green lines, standing in sharp contrast. How did one make metal to take this shade? Did the ones who crafted it grinded amethyst in it? Was the green on the hilt simple dye? Or was it a secret only known to the goddesses? The metal was bright, with the symbol of the Triforce on it, marked with a simple change in shade, just a tiny bit brighter. Link touched it in awe. No change in texture. No different temperature. The blade was cool to the touch, unaffected by the warm rays falling on it. No tool had touched this blade to engrave the Triforce on its side. It just was.

This was with no doubt, the work of divinity.

His hand moved to the hilt as if by itself. The moment he touched it, three spots started glowing right beneath his eyes. The Pendant of Courage worn beneath his tunic and the Pendants of Wisdom and Power kept in his pouch glimmered with ethereal power. In front of Link’s amazed eyes, the three artifacts flew on their own towards the stone pillars that surrounded the pedestal. Now that he looked closer, Link realized that there were gaps on the stones, made to perfectly fit each of the three pendants. Quietly, they all attached themselves to their respective slots. Something in the ground beneath him and the air around him seemed to change.

It filled Link with purpose. Beyond a shadow of doubt, he finally knew – no, _understood_ – that he was ready for this. He was _meant_ to do this.

He took a step closer to the blade and wrapped both his wands around the hilt. It was warm. Smooth. Flawless. His hands fit perfectly around the hilt as if it had been made for him. His heart was fluttering in his chest as he tightened his grip. The three pendants shone brighter. And Link started pulling.

He was met with no resistance. The blade slithered out of the stone with ease, as if it was water. Link could feel its power, like an electric charge. This was far beyond anything he had felt before. The power of Ravio’s items, the feeling of turning into a painting; they were nothing in front of this. The scar on his arm was pulsing, trying to protest against the action, sending shocks up on his forearm, but the light of the Master Sword soothed all of the pain away.

The metal sang as it was released from the stone. Link lifted it above his head. The blade caught the light, brighter than the sun. It was beautiful. Perfect. Surreal.

The light filled his mind.

* * *

_it was a chamber stone windows light leaves forest shadow light water silence noise life death stasis movement it was strong weak incomplete complete sacred cold hot black white short long loving voiceless accepting rejecting perfect DEFEATTHEYLOSTNOWONSEALEDPERMANENTINCOMPLETEBLOODFAILURESUCCESSLUSTLONGINGIMSORRYINEEDYOUYOUWEREWRONGBYHERTHEIRNAMEOATHDUTYWILLETERNITYLEGACYNO-_

_The sword was broken. It had always been and no amount of tempering could ever complete it. Perfection is unobtainable, because no mortal was meant for perfection even with Her favour and the will of the Goddesses. It was crying in its slumber for forgotten tales. It had felt the blazing heat on its blade more times than it cared to count. It barely had any power to spare for itself, for its judgment was poor at the worst possible moment. It was a failure; a massive failure and it only had itself to blame for it. Not the child. Herself. She did not make the same mistake twice. She kept on singing but she could not look at him in the eye. The days of happiness were bittersweet though she had never known its taste; she merely knew that was the correct word for it. This one was wounded, branded by magicks with evil will and arrogance. He was young as well. She would soothe him; that was all she would do for his brand was not only a curse but a blessing in disguise. Irony. This was called irony. She would make sure that its power would not corrupt his body, his soul, his heart._

_Warning. Seal has been breached. Malevolent energy leaks detected. Scanning seal…_

_Malfunctions detected. Unable to contain malevolent energy._

_Warning. Evil presence detected ahead. Scanning…_

_Scanning archives… Possible match found. Compatibility: 87.5%_

_Initiating modification parameters. Scanning: Subject Hero No. 4_

_Modifying parameters…_

_Complete._

_Adjusting Master Sword parameters to Hero No. 4._

_Presence identified. Proceed with extreme caution._

* * *

The light was blinding. The sounds… The images… They were fading… What _were_ they? He could not remember. They were fading faster than a dream. Was he… dreaming? Did he fall asleep? There was… a light? What…? …what was he thinking about?

His head… It was worse than a migraine. Whatever it was, he could feel it pressing from the inside of his skull. No. Not just his skull. His whole body felt like it was on fire from the inside. Even breathing was painful, but not breathing was just as painful. The pain filtered everything.

It vanished as quickly as it came. Link fell on his knees, gasping for air. His eyes had watered so badly that all he could see a vague greenness and nothing else. He rubbed his tears away with his sleeve. He then saw it. It was still in his hand. The sword.

The Master Sword.

 _I’m…_ “I’m actually… holding it.”. His voice was barely more than a whisper. His throat was so dry. What in the world had happened? The last thing he remembered was drawing the Master Sword. Was… this supposed to happen? He had passed out, right? His head was spinning. Link tried to sit in a more natural position. He knew that if he tried to get up now he would just end up falling again.

Someone was standing there.

What?

Link lifted his head and tried to focus on the figure ahead. His vision was still blurry; all he could see of it was black. And red. Wait… were those… its eyes?

It was right in front of him. It raised something. A sword.

Instinct took over.

Link just rolled out of the way, raising the Master Sword just in time to block another attack. He tried a counterstrike on his own but his blade only met thin air. However, the sudden assault was enough to clear Link’s senses.

It was black, as if it was made of smoke, but looking far more solid. Its eyes were glowing red; next to them, the eyes of the monsters looked normal. It was holding a sword and a shield on its own. They looked as if they were part of its own body.

His opponent looked just like him.

This revelation shook Link to his very bones. It sent a shiver down his spine. Now that his mind was clear, he could feel its presence crawling on his skin, pressuring him from all directions as if he were underwater.

_Conquer yourself._

No choice.

Link knew that this would be his hardest enemy yet.

It seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move. With one swift movement, Link secured the shield on his right arm and thrust his blade forward. The other had its own shield already lifted to block – no, _slide_ the blade away from its body, raising its sword high up to take Link’s head. Instead of blocking, Link slid into a roll ending up behind it. The black blade did not hit the grass. Instead, the shadow spun around in a swirl. Link recognized the attack. He had pulled it himself, after all.

Instead of allowing it to build momentum, he blocked the sword with his own blade and attempted to attack again. Sword with shield and shield with sword; they were locked. Link attempted to push forward, but the other was stronger. He ended up on the ground, with the other above him. He was blocked from all sides. His head was free. His forehead connected with its nose.

Its reaction was so human that Link almost lost a second to observe it. Almost. He pushed it off and wrung himself free. He attempted to bring his sword down, to pierce its back, but it rolled out of the way much like he had done earlier. Sword collided with sword. A loud clang resounded through the area. They exchanged strikes, but everything was repelled back. Link bashed it with its shield. He caught it in the head, off guard. He took the opening. His blade landed on its side.

First blood. Only to be met with its own shield on his head. It copied his movement. His vision blurred, his headache returning. His ears were whistling. No time to lie down. He got up on his feet again. Something warm filled his nostrils. Blood? Something black lunged towards him. He blocked. His vision clear fast enough to see it right in front of his face. The held the lockdown just for a moment before Link spun around to throw it off. Just like it had done earlier. He did not give it time to recover.

He sprinted forward, his sword held like a lance. It brought up its shield to block the strike. Not good enough. Link did not get its heart; he got its shoulder. The shield arm. It howled. The scream was otherworldly.

Link leaped back from the counter attack. He could see it now. Shadows oozed from both wounds he had inflicted. It was gasping for breath, and now the shield was hanging uselessly. It tried to lift it back into position, but that just caused more shadows to ooze out of it. He had hit the jackpot with that one.

The sight brought a smile on his face. The blood from his nose dripped into his lips. It really did taste like metal. Huh.

Now was his chance. Once again, Link lunged forward, swinging the Master Sword in a wide arch. With its right arm practically useless, the shadow had a far greater difficulty blocking. It merely deflected his strike, and brought its sword up for a counterattack, aiming for Link’s head. Link ducked under it and went for another thrust. It side stepped. More shadows oozed from his wounds. Link rolled forward to regain his balance and rolled up on his feet again. He took a good look at it, looking for another opening. It appeared… fainter? Yes, it was definitely fainter. _Perfect_.

He had a hard time breathing. His head was swimming. Everything ached. He lunged and leaped upwards. He brought his sword down to the shadow’s head. It dodged. The sword was embedded in the ground. Link tried to wrangle it out but he had no time for that. The shadow aimed another blow at him that he only barely managed to dodge. It brought its foot down and kicked Link hard in the gut, knocking the air out of him. Once again it thrust at Link, but he managed to lift his shield just in time. He swiped his legs under it. It tripped and Link grabbed his chance to run to his sword. Even with a useless limp weighting it down, the shadow was dangerous.

It was a struggle that took a bit longer than he would have liked, but Link was able to free his blade. The heavy wounds made the shadow slow. Link himself was nowhere near peak condition. His injuries were much lighter, but everything just piled up to his exhaustion. He had to finish this quickly.

Just as he finished the thought, he saw movement behind him. He barely turned around. The shadow lunged towards him and slammed him on the ground. It raised its sword to deliver the final blow. Link raised his first.

It them both a moment to realize what he did. Link traced with his eyes the path that the sword followed, from the hilt in his hand, to the blade’s end embedded into his enemy’s chest. With a grunt, Link got up to his feet. The shadow was very faint now, almost transparent. Moving under its weight was much easier than before. Their positions were reversed. Link took hold of his sword with both hands and drove it deeply into the place that should be its heart.

The smoke erupted from its wounds. The shadow seemed to vanish in front of his very eyes, its own red orbs wide and dimming. Eventually, only wisps remained, and they too soon vanished.

It was over.

_So this… is the Master Sword… It’s great._

Once again, Link welcomed the darkness that overtook him.

* * *

He woke up to the smell of something cooking. He was too dazed to figure out what it was. Wherever he was, it was warm. Very much so. He realized that he was covered with a blanket, and the air on his face was also heated; must have been from the fire used for cooking.

His whole body felt like it melted. His eyelids were heavy too. Link just wanted to stay under the covers forever. He tried to do exactly that. That went on for about ten minutes before he finally groaned and was forced to change sides. That was when he took a good look at the house. And realized that it was not his own.

That woke up Link with a start. He sat up but a sudden wave of nausea hit him, blanking out his vision for a moment.

“Careful there, young man. You took quite a beating.”.

Whoever that was, Link did not recognize him. It was the voice of an old man, but it was not Sahasrahla. Link’s vision finally returned to normal and he was able to take a good look at the old man. There was nothing special about him; he was completely bald but with a really bushy grey beard, and he wore a green tunic with a faded yellow scarf. Link was pretty sure that he had seen him before, but he could not remember where. The house he was in was not anything special either; a completely ordinary stone cabin for one person. The only things that stood out were the unusually large chest in the corner and the boiling pot on the fireplace.

The old man obviously saw him eyeing it. “It’ll be ready in a few minutes. It’s just some rabbit stew I made. I thought you’d like to put something in your stomach.”. As if to answer him, Link’s stomach growled loudly. Link felt his blood rush to his face, and the old man laughed heartedly. “Looks like I was right!”.

Link tried to remember when it had been that he had last eaten. In his mouth he had the aftertaste of… blood? Why was there blood-

In a flash, he remembered it all. The Lost Woods. The ghosts. The Master Sword. That fight. He had been on his way from the Tower of Hera to find Sahasrahla and ask him where the Master Sword was so he could finally save Zelda. And then that… mess happened. What in Nayru’s name was all that?

“You seem pretty upset, young man? Is there something wrong?”.

First things first. “Did I have a sword with me? And a pouch?”. He added the pouch more as an afterthought, but he felt silly for only remembering it just now. The pouch and all the stuff it contained were invaluable.

“Why, yes! Two swords in fact! But that second one is quite magnificent. I have left all your things there in the corner.”.

Link still did not feel well enough to try and leave the bed, but from where he was sitting, he saw both the captain’s sword and the Master Sword, as well as his shield – it was very battered – and his pouch. The Master Sword stood out like a beacon compared to everything else in the small house.

And now for the other pressing matters. “Where did you find me? And how long was I out?”.

The old man looked surprised. “Don’t you remember?”.

Should he tell him? “I remember being in a big clearing at the forest.”. Seeing the other man’s expecting look, Link spared a few more details. “I was lost and then I got into a fight…”. He quietly prayed the old man did not ask for any further details.

“I’ll say. When I found you a fairy was tending to you! I haven’t seen one in years! How it found you I’ll never know. Or maybe did you find her.”. Seeing Link’s somewhat panicked expression, he laughed. “Oh, don’t worry young man, I’m just joking.”. Link had a distinct feeling that _now_ he was joking.

 _How_ had the man found him? Link was absolutely sure that wherever he had been in the Lost Woods, there were no exits. In fact, he had no idea how he had gotten _in_ the woods to begin with. The last thing before that was the he had passed out some distance away from Rosso’s house. Now that he thought about it, he had passed out quite a few times in a row… What time was it? Fear gripped Link’s heart. What _day_ was it?

“How long was I out?”, he repeated. “What time is it?”.

The old man looked at him with an expression filled with understanding. “I found you four hours ago or so. I don’t how long you were out before that. Right now… I think it’s afternoon. Or maybe early evening?”.

Not as much time as he had feared, but far longer than he had hoped.

“Looks like our meal is ready. Come on, young man? Can you get up?”.

Link nodded. His dizziness was completely gone. Link threw off the blanket, silently lamenting for the sudden loss of warmth, and sat in one of the chairs at the table. The old man brought a couple of plates from the cupboard and served them both a hearty portion. The stew smelled delicious.

Link eagerly accepted the spoon that had been offered to him and immediately dug in the soup. His tongue was burned even faster.

The old man laughed at his misfortune. “Careful there young man! You must never rush into things to hastily, be it life or food.”.

Link wanted to tell him that a warning would have been nice, but that would be incredibly rude to a stranger who had rescued him and opened his house to him. Still, the old man must have seen it in his eyes. “Tell me, young man, if I told you to be careful, would you have listened?”.

Link was about to protest, but the old man interrupted him. “And if I told you “it’s too hot”, what would you do? You’ll blow on it to cool it down, but then it’d be too cold. It’s best to experience things as they are.”.

Link just stared at the old man baffled. What was up with that guy? _I don’t think he’ll answer…_ But… “Have we met before?”.

The old man barked a laugh. “Of course we have! At Kakariko Village. I spend most of my time there!”.

“Ah, you’re the Streetpass grandpa!”. _Now_ Link remembered him. He had run into him when he had first bought his shield but honestly he did not pay much attention. That old man was always around trying to start up that “streetpass” thing of his and failing. To think that of all people that could find him, it was him…

“So you do remember me! I was worried for a moment there.”.

Now Link was genuinely curious. “What exactly is that “streetpass” thing?”.

To Link’s surprise, the old man appeared almost embarrassed. “You see young man, I was quite the warrior in my youth… The years have gotten to me I’m afraid and… I wanted a challenge. A young springy warrior to challenge me. I see some talents in the palace but they’re all wasted in the royal guard… I wished to cross paths with a truly talented and dedicated warrior. But I suppose it’s just a selfish old man’s foolish wish.”. Link listened attentively. “But you, young man! You look as if you just bested the opponent of your life! How rare that is!”.

Link scowled. That …shadow had been hard. Incredibly so. It could copy all of his moves. But it was _not_ the fight of his life. “I still have some things to do.”.

The streetpass grandpa nodded, understanding crossing his face. “I can see that. It’s all over your face. But you must eat first, right?”.

The rest of the afternoon was spent quietly like that, with the two of them eating in silence. The meal really was delicious. Link could feel his strength returning to his bones and melting away his remaining tension. It was probably the most fulfilling meal he ever had.

Sometime later, Link felt ready to leave. He went to organize his stuff. True to the grandpa’s word, none of Ravio’s items were missing. What his eyes fell on were the two swords. The captain’s sword and the Master Sword. Link would obviously go for the Master Sword but he did not have a sheath for it. What to do…

“Is something wrong, young man?”.

Link thought about it for a moment. “I don’t have a sheath for this sword.”.

The old man’s eyes sprinkled with mirth. “Ah, yes! That’s quite the magnificent blade there. It certainly needs a scabbard of equal value. Lucky for you, I do have something.”.

Link’s curiosity peaked as the old man went to dig around in that gigantic chest of his. He found what he was looking for and presented it with a prideful smile.

It was the most magnificent sheath that Link had ever seen. Far too long to be carried at one’s hip, the sheath was made from a material in a royal blue colour that Link could not quite identify, decorated with elegant designs made of solid gold. Link brought it next to the Master Sword. It was with great disbelief when he tested it that he realized how perfectly the Master Sword fit to the scabbard.

“Will this do, young man?”.

Link had no words. “Wh-where did you find this?”.

The StreetPass grandpa just laughed. “Oh, I’ve had it for a long time now. I have no need of it, don’t worry. You can keep it.”.

Link could not believe his eyes and ears. With the new scabbard, the Master Sword seemed a bit more complete. Link fastened the brown belt with the elaborate buckle around his shoulder, marveling at the incredibly light weight, and slid the sword into it. The weight was just right. It fit perfectly.

“That looks pretty good on you! Looks like I made the right choice.”

Link put the captain’s sword with the other stuff in his pouch and readied his weapons. He tested the rest of his supplies – it was high time he bought a potion – and prepared to leave.

“Do you need some help, young man? This cabin is in the forest, so you might get a bit lost.”.

Link waved him off. Irene should be awake by now. “Don’t worry, I know someone who can pick me up. Thank you very much.”.

“Best of luck then, Link. May the goddesses be with you.”.

It was only a few minutes of walking later that Link realized he had never introduced himself. He turned around to find the cabin, but there was nothing in sight.

“Just who was that…?”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last of the pre-written chapters. From here on out, this is the ff.net stories will update simultaneously. In the future there'll also be proper author notes.


	9. Hyrule Castle

Knowing that he would probably get lost again, Link did not even bother to look for the edge of the forest. Instead, he pulled out the golden bell and called Irene to pick him up. Now that he thought about it, it had been quite a while since he had last seen her. It was… yesterday morning.

The realization of how little time it actually had been was surreal. It felt much longer than that.

Those thoughts ceased when a familiar shadow appeared over his head.

“Hi, Irene-” He stopped mid sentence.

The broom was here, alright. But Irene was _not_.

For a few moments Link just blinked stupidly, before it registered to him that Irene was not there. “Where is she?”. Link waited for a few moments, but nothing happened. “IRENE!? WHERE ARE YOU!?”. His voice echoed in the forest. No answer was echoed back.

A cold sensation started creeping up Link’s spine. “Did she decide to ditch me…?”. He doubted the words even as he spoke them. Sure, she did not like him very much but after that fortune she would never leave him alone.

Something was wrong.

Irene’s broom was still floating there. Link reached out with his right arm. A jolt of pain passed through it; quickly smoothed, but unmistakable.

_Yuga._

The broom had traces of Yuga’s magic on it. It made his arm feel as if it was suddenly impaled by a thousand needles; after the constant numbness, it was a shock to his senses.

A heavy weight fell on Link’s stomach, and his breath sat on his throat.

No. _No. I have to make sure._ For a few moments, he stood at a loss, not sure what to do. Reluctantly, he grabbed the edge of the broom, making sure to use his left. It felt wrong to actually ride it. Even without Irene acting as a counterweight, it barely wobbled. “The… The Witch’s Shop.”. Had he not been that worried, he would be surprised at how the broom immediately followed his command.

The ride itself was a blank in Link’s mind – he only took notice of Hyrule Castle as he passed above. It was still locked behind the black prison bars that Yuga had drawn over the gates. No sign of movement inside, yet Link felt that somehow, something had gone wrong. He could spot Sahasrahla waiting out of the gates, and his heart sunk. But first, Irene.

The sight of her house was more or less familiar, by now. Had he not known better, he would think that there was nothing wrong. The place looked the same as ever. However, something _was_ different. An aura of gloom that was simply not there before.

 _I have to make sure._ Reluctantly, he opened the door and entered.

“Link, my boy.”.

Irene’s grandmother was there, at the far end of her shop, stirring her brew in a cauldron. It was half-hearted. There was a darkness hanging in the air that did not come just from the lack of windows. Link slowly approached and walked behind the counter. He already knew what she would ask him before she spoke.

“I sent Irene to gather some mushrooms from the forest in the morning… Usually, she’d be back home hours ago. Have you seen her?”.

Link took a deep breath, and shook his head. “No. I called her with the bell and the broom came but…”. He could see that the old witch was frozen, and her gaze was burning holes through him. Link took a deep breath and looked at her straight in the eye.

“Do you remember the sorcerer I was fighting? Yuga?”. Her raised eyebrows were enough of an answer. “I don’t know what exactly he wants or where he came from, but he’s after the descendants of the Seven Sages. He’s already kidnapped Seres and Osfala, and he has imprisoned Princess Zelda in her castle. He may be trying to revive Ganon. I- I felt his magic on Irene’s broom.”.

The old witch was as white as a sheet. It was a while before she answered. “My mother’s line does come from the Sages… It came from her own mother too…”. Just as he suspected. Irene was a descendant of the Seven Sages.

“Do you have a bottle, young man?”.

The sudden question caught Link off-guard. “Y-Yeah.”.

The old woman nodded sharply. “Bring it here.”. Link did as she said and handed her one of his bottles. Without a word, she went to the counter and scooped blue potion into the bottle until it was full. With a flick of her finger, the outer side of the bottle was dried and sealed. She handed it back to Link. “Take it, Link. It’s for free.”.

In his surprise, Link almost dropped the bottle. “Are you sure, ma’am? I can pay, I have enough.”.

The old witch waved her hand dismissively. “You’ll need it. I don’t need Rupees right now; just bring me my granddaughter back.”.

Link nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”. Of course he would. It went without question. Zelda, Irene, and anyone else who fell into the sorcerer’s hands.

With no further ado, Link placed the potion in his pouch, and marched out of the shop. The broom was still floating there. Link grabbed its twigs without prompting. “Link’s House.”. He was off.

* * *

The ride was short, and filled with thoughts. Seres. Osfala. Now Irene. That was three Sages there. If he did not hurry, Zelda too would fall in his hands. Was Zelda a Sage too? Or was Yuga after eight people? Who else had gone missing?

_Gulley._

When was the last time he saw him? He even _thought_ about him? At the thought, a wave of shame washed over him. He was so busy running around in those ruins that he had no spared the young boy a single thought. No, that was no excuse. He should have looked for Gulley. He had not even checked at Mr. Nick’s forge the past few days.

But… he had been running around half of Hyrule. He should have seen Gulley by _now_. Or maybe he was back home already and Link did not see him because he _forgot_ to check.

Or maybe Yuga had gotten to him.

No, that was impossible. He was after the descendants of the Sages. Gulley – Mr. Nick and Mrs. Lily – could not _be_ descendants. The others were priests and wizards. They were simple smiths. Nothing more, nothing less.

But Yuga had attacked other people too, had he not? Captain Alfred. Just for getting in his way. What if he had randomly found Gulley somewhere and decided he was too annoying to let him be?

No. It could not be true. There was no way that was true. There was absolutely no reason Yuga had gone after Gulley. Gulley was _not_ stupid enough to get in Yuga’s way. He was not stupid, period. Something else must have happened. He was probably home, whining about Link slacking off again. Yeah, that was it.

He still felt the creeping urge to check.

No, there was no point. Gulley would be at the smithy and all Link would manage to do by visiting is scare the crap out of everyone and waste even more time. He’d just go after Yuga and free Zelda, and that would be it. He would go back to the forest to put the Master Sword back in place – _but something felt so wrong about that_ – return the Pendant of Courage to Zelda and also put the other two back in place and he would go back to metalwork. Maybe slay the occasional monster. He had proven to be pretty good at that, and someone had to do it.

Before he knew it, he was at his house. The sign Ravio put up was gleaming in the sun.

Link was not really tired. But he was so, _so_ drained.

Unceremoniously, he opened the door and stumbled in.

“Hello, Mr. Hero! You sure took your time. You’ve been gone since yesterday morning! Was the Tower of Hera that bad?”.

Link had no patience for Ravio’s cheer right now. “The whole Din-forsaken volcano was “that bad”. And don’t get me started on whatever that forest was. There’s a reason I never step foot in there.”.

“What happened?”.

Link sharply turned to him, caught off guard. His voice was uncharacteristically serious. His smile had fallen off his lips. In spite of the mask, Link could tell that Ravio was staring right at him.

Ravio knew more than he let on. It was an old suspicion, and yet, Link felt like he could trust him.

“Yuga has already gotten at least three Sages. Seres, Osfala, and now Irene. I called her and she wasn’t on her broom, so I went to the witch’s shop to check... They’re descendants of the sages after all.”.

From what little skin he could see under the hood, Ravio had gone completely pale. “Who else has gone missing?”.

“Gulley.”, answered Link instantly, ignoring the sharp pang in his heart. He immediately shook his head. “But he can’t be a Sage, I’ve known his family since forever. They’re just blacksmiths. The others are priests, magicians and stuff.”. He tried not to wince at how desperate he sounded.

Ravio did not look terribly convinced, but he did not push it. “How many are all the Sages?”. His vocal tone was still all business. Focused. Link rarely ever heard it – the only time he could recall was back when he explained the workings of magic to Link – but he took comfort in it.

“Seven. I don’t know if Princess Zelda is one of them.”.

“Seven or eight then missing people… Three sages, and the Princess is in her castle, so that’s four. D’ya know who the others are?”.

Link shook his head. “The Elder, Sahasrahla, I think, but I saw him on my way here. From above, I didn’t talk to him. I don’t know any others.”.

“You can’t NOT know!”, shouted Ravio. “C’mon, any clue at all?”.

Link frowned. Was there anyone else he knew? His mind felt so clobbered… Waiting for a flash was no good.

 _Think, Link. Start with the Elder. What did he tell you?_ The Elder had told Link plenty of things over time, but it was mostly what he knew about the various places he had to search for the Pendants. Or random history facts. But what else… Did he say why Yuga is after Zelda? Anything about Zelda…

Oh, right! “Impa.”.

“Ooo, you’ve told me about her! She’s a… Sheikah, right? Is that a rank?”.

Link threw Ravio a quizzical look. It was pretty clear he was not from Hyrule but he did not know what a Sheikah was? Then again, he thought they were just a myth before he met Impa, so no wonder other countries would not know about them. “It’s a race, like the Hylians.”.

“Oh. Uh, I, uh… never heard of them. Anyone else?”.

Link thought about it for a moment. An image of the StreetPass grandpa passed through his head, but something made him dismiss it immediately. Besides, with the Lost Woods being what it is, even Yuga would never be able to find him. “No.”.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Mr. Hero! Now hurry to the castle!”. As he was lost in thought, Link’s response was a clueless “huh”. Ravio stomped his foot impatiently, his pet dancing around him. “The Princess! You just said a Sage is guarding her, and Yuga has them both locked up!”.

Realization hit him like a brick. How had he _never_ thought of that?

He had to leave. Now.

“Wait, Mr. Hero! Won’t you take something with you? Ya know, for the fight. I can sell them to you too!”.

Link turned around in surprise. “You’re willing to _sell_ them? I never thought you’d part with anything.”.

“Hey, no fair! I rent them for as long as ever!”.

“Sure, until you pick them from my fallen body.”, reminded him Link.

“Yeah, ‘bout that…”. Ravio threw a not-so-discreet look at an empty spot on the table. Had he rented a weapon to someone else?

“What was the weapon there?”.

“The Sand Rod.”.

It took Link a moment to remember. Osfala. He said he had gotten himself a Sand Rod. “Wait, Osfala was defeated. Why didn’t you get it back?”.

“I tried, but when Yuga trapped him the Rod went with him. Sheerow can’t find them now.”. He sounded particularly frustrated about the last part. Link could understand, if for very different reasons. If Sheerow could track the Rod, they would at least have a clue on where Yuga was. No such chance now.

Ravio put on a cheerful disposition again. “Now, Mr. Hero, let’s talk about the items!”.

Link pretended not to be off-put by the sudden change of subject. He approached the Boomerang. “How much for this one?”

“Rental price is forty rupees. As for buying price… Since it’ll be your first purchase, I’ll cut the price by half!”.

“And how much is that?”.

“Four hundred rupees.”.

Link choked. He slowly turned to Ravio. The masked boy was trying to look like the very picture of innocence. He was failing. “Dear Nayru, you’re _greedy_.”.

Ravio just grinned. Link shook his head. He did not know why he expected anything else, really. He turned to the last two weapons – two different rods. “How much do these cost? _Rental_ price.”.

“Both of them are one hundred rupees each!”.

“ **One hundred**?”.

“They’re pretty rare! I can’t just go grab one and enchant it like the others.”.

“Do I want to know how much it costs to buy them?”.

“Uh… maybe not.”.

“I thought so.”.

After much, _much_ deliberation, and careful calculation of his finances, he declined both. When Ravio asked him why, other than the obvious monetary reason, Link answered that Yuga almost certainly had a countermeasure for them. Ravio mulled over it for a moment before shrugging.

Link ended up buying and renting nothing, and made his way to Hyrule Castle.

* * *

The barrier was still there. Those blackened flames that looked like prison bars. The odd buzzing. Link did not know why he was expecting anything different. Maybe because the last few days were completely insane? Yeah, that would probably be it.

Sahasrahla was still there, waiting for him. He looked completely worn down, not that Link could blame him. He was genuinely worried for the old man’s health. However, upon seeing Link, he was immediately alert.

“By the Goddesses, Link! Is that what I think it is!?”.

The “it” in question was obvious. Link slowly drew the Master Sword out of its scabbard, watching how the Elder’s expression formed to pure wonder. Even in the ominous light – or was it shade – of the barrier, the blade seemed to be glowing. The warmth spread through him, warming him.

“Indeed it is…! No doubt – that is the very blade of evil’s bane. You have found the Master Sword! But… how did you find it?”.

“Long story.”.

“And how did you escape the Lost Woods?”.

“Longer story.”.

“Well, I suppose there is no time to waste. Strike down this nefarious barrier!”.

“With pleasure.”. He meant that wholeheartedly.

Link slowly walked to the front gates, the painted prison bars mocking with their very presence. He could feel the malevolent intent behind them in his skin – literally. It was not quite so bad though. The pain in his arm was far more tolerable now that the numbness had subsidized a bit.

The young hero held the sword with both hands and breathed deeply. The blade was humming. With a yell that may sound like a war cry, he thrust the sacred blade deeply in the black prison.

The pain was blinding. Lightning cut through the air. His vision was flashes. And it was over as soon as it started. The darkness just vanished like it was never there.

For a few moments all Link and the Elder could do was dumbly stare at the walls.

The painted barrier was just – gone. No weird buzzing, no moving shadows, no black, flame-like prison bars. Nothing. It was just gone.

“Why, that’s incredible! How easily it cuts through such dark magic!”

“Yuga is going to be _pissed_.”.

That shook Sahasrahla out of his stupor. “Then go on, Link! You must save Princess Zelda at once!”.

Link took a deep breath, steeling himself. “I’m going.”. He turned to the old man. “Thank you Elder. I could not have done it without you.”.

“Link, please don’t talk like that.”.

“I’m serious! I’d still be looking for the Pendant of Wisdom, _at best_. Just – go back to the village, okay?”.

“But, Link!”.

“Yuga could make another earthquake! I don’t want anyone near the castle if _that_ happens! It was bad enough the last time!”.

The old man looked incredibly conflicted, but he relented. “Be careful, young man, and good luck. You have a difficult fight ahead of you.”.

“I know. And thanks. Seriously.”.

Link slid the shield off his back and strapped it on his arm. He had a princess to save.

* * *

The castle courtyard was full of soldiers. The painted ones, that is. Beneath their helmets was nothing. No faces. No eyes. Just dark.

They were everywhere. In the walls. _In the bushes. On the roof. Main hallway is full._ Go from the side then. _That’s emptier. You can pick them out, one by one._

He did. The doors on each side of the main gate were “hidden” behind a tree or two and just by being deeper in the wall. Like they were hoping that the main gate was too magnificent for anyone to notice.

Okay, it worked last time Link was here and he completely failed to notice the side gates, but he had other stuff in his mind.

The gates were unlocked. Link pushed them open and rushed in.

Another soldier. Link expected that. But he was just one. Link sidestepped the incoming spear and lunged for the opening. One strike below the belt, and a second on the head. He was gone in a puff of smoke.

“Magic. Of course.”

A flash of red on the wall made him pause. Turning around he saw it. Another soldier. A _normal_ one. “Oh no… He turned all the old soldiers into paintings!” The flashy red uniform made him look like a toy.

Of course he did. _Of course._ For anyone who got in his way, all Yuga had to do was turn them into a stain on the wall and it was no longer his problem.

Looking around the room, Link noticed another one transformed, high above the floor. Link had no idea how the man ended up there.

Link remembered how terrifying being turned into a painting was. With the bracelet, it turned into his best weapon, but those first few moments… like he was suffocating… Like something was crushing him from all sides burying him alive… And it was just a few moments. How long had these soldiers been here? Days? When did he even start his adventure? Did they see anything that was going on outside? Or were they unconscious? Link really hoped it was the latter.

Link looked around for an entrance. He found nothing.

 _That can’t be right. There’s nothing!?_ There had to be an entrance somewhere! He was sure of it! _Better check the other gate._

Link sneaked through the courtyard again and reached the other side gate. This time there were two soldiers waiting for him. Unfortunately for them, Link was at the top of his game. A few moments later, Link searched the hallway for any doors. Nothing. All he found was a treasure chest that had a pathetic blue rupee. He also found a few trapped soldiers. He tried to ignore those.

Yuga must have sealed and hidden any doors. There was no other explanation. There was absolutely no reason why the castle would have two hallways on each side that lead nowhere.

However, the fact was that the only way to get in the castle right now was through the front door. It was so, _so_ obviously a trap. But it was working. Still, Link could not help the nagging feeling that there was something he overlooked.

Link shook his head, trying to get it straight. There was no time to waste. If he had to get through the front door and the horde of magic soldiers that was undoubtedly guarding it, so be it.

Link briefly debated between fighting all the soldiers in the garden and trying to sneak past them. On the one hand, he _could_ take them on but then he would be too tired to deal with what was inside. On the other hand, he had no idea how hard he would have to try to open the main palace gates, but if they were half as heavy as they looked, he would take ages and the soldiers would spot him.

Then he remembered he had Rosso’s power gloves.

Sneaking it was.

Link crouched down and run to the main gates, making sure to hide behind the trees and the decorative bushes. He pushed the gate, and it gave way like a plain old door.

_Someone should bless Rosso._

He was in.

As expected, there were guards, but nowhere close to the huge assault force that Link expected. Did Yuga expect that nobody would be able to get in?

Well, he probably expected right.

Regardless, the green-clad soldiers were nowhere near as tough as the red guy with the spear earlier. Which meant not at all. Yet, Link could not help but think that they were _too_ easy. Still, this meant that Link could pick them at his own pace – be the one to engage for once, instead of the other way round.

The gallery remained unchanged. Link was mildly surprised. He was expecting Yuga to have redecorated the interior to his taste, but other than a trapped soldier the room was practically identical.

He remembered the painting before him. The one with the Hero of Legend, standing victorious with his sword raised, the Zelda of his time standing by his side. The hero who looked just like him.

The painting that had almost sucked him in. Before he realized what he was doing, Link was touching the inscription, tracing the metal engraving with his fingers. No matter that he had already read it once; he found himself reading it again.

_“Painting V: The Triforce, Split Apart._

_The Triforce was split into three pieces, separated forever. One piece remains in the hands of the royal family. Another piece has fallen into the hands of Ganon, sealed away with him. The third piece of the Triforce has vanished, though legend says it is hidden in the spirit of a true hero. It slumbers now somewhere in Hyrule – waiting for the time when the world needs a new hero.”_

_What?_

Wh-when did the epigraph change? That last part was not there the last time, was it? He would have _remembered_ something like that, he was sure of it.

Link tried to recall what happened last time he read that epigraph. He was wondering why the Royal Family advertized that they had a Triforce piece. But he could not recall anything about a piece being somewhere in Hyrule. If that was known fact, he would have heard it _ages_ ago. “Finding the Triforce” was the most common joke in the country.

That last sentence was not there the last time. Someone – or _something_ – had changed the epigraph.

_The piece is here… in Hyrule… Waiting for a hero…_

This was important. This was extremely important. Link had no idea why but this felt groundbreaking. It _was_ groundbreaking. Something fundamental had changed, beyond what Link had consciously realized.

His head was killing him.

Link fell on his knees, his back on the wall. For a moment he wondered if he would fall through again like that first time. No. This time, he was solid. He just needed to get his head straight. The gallery was mercifully empty.

This was far from the first time it had happened. In fact, it was happening _all_ the time. Those splitting headaches and the weird thoughts he would lose track of just – being there one moment and elsewhere the next. He… Goddesses, there was something wrong with him and he could not even remember _what_.

He curled into himself, head between his knees, hoping the pounding would go away. It felt like forever.

 _I have to move_.

He did. He bolted for the stairway. If there was one place Impa and Zelda would be trapped in, it had to be the throne room. He knew where that was.

The red soldier had his back turned to him. _Good._ He did not know what hit him.

Link ran to the door, but it was locked. _Great._ Now what? He would have to find another way.

_Maybe she’s at the top._

Yeah, that made sense. Still, that did not change how the door was locked. However, there was another door to his right that was open. Not seeing another option, Link headed there.

_Wait… Is this the corridor from before?_

It was. Link was now on a fake floor above the normal corridor, complete with a whole in the middle. In fact, it looked eerily similar to those places where Link had found the Pendants of Virtue.

Link was officially spooked. True, Hyrule Castle was beyond ancient. But was it always built that way? Or did Yuga make it like that?

Even up here there were soldiers – both the magic and the trapped ones. The blue-clad soldier spotted him and charged. Link almost tried dodging before realizing just how narrow the passage was. He brought up his shield and braced himself. It was not enough. He was pushed a few feet back, but that was all he needed. The passage here was wider. The soldier followed and this time Link danced around him, managing two hits on his back before the soldier turned around and sent him flying on the wall. Link got away the last second and swung wildly. Bingo.

Link ran through the resulting puff of smoke and made a break for the new door.

The door led to the roof.

He spotted something gleaming under the sun. Between him and that object was an unarmed soldier. Or so Link thought until he conjured a bomb out of thin air.

 _Shit._ There was no room to dodge here!

The young swordsman only had one option: charge.

Apparently even magic constructs could be caught by surprise. Link slammed into the soldier shield first and made him drop the bomb. By the time the soldier got back to his feet, the bomb had turned red.

Link was too busy picking the purple rupee from the treasure chest to pay any attention to the explosion.

Theft complete – besides, Link rationalized, if Yuga had turned the palace into a magic labyrinth then nobody would have claimed that money anyway – he headed back where he came from to open the new gates. He quickly dispatched the two red-clad spear soldiers in his way and pushed them open.

_He was expecting a trap. Flying tiles, maybe. There wasn’t one._

Link warily approached the four statues, fully expecting them to transform into Armos. Ancient castle, ancient defenses, right?

Wrong. The statues stayed still like they were supposed to.

Link did not like the air of this place at all. There was something wrong and heavy in the air, sticky, clogging his breath as if it were smoke. Breathing was hard. He would have to take it slow. Be cautious. He picked the bow.

A wise decision.

Because as soon as he stepped through the next door, it locked behind him, leaving him trapped with a soldier in spiked gold armour and a huge chain mace. He did not have time to think. He just shot. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. He was still standing, and Link was out of magic. That ball was _on him_.

He rushed forward. Again. He lashed out with his sword once, twice. Finally, he was down.

Among the smoke, Link took a breather. He almost got killed there. If he had reacted one second later…

Were those rupees on the wall?

They were. For some reason, Yuga had painted rupees on the wall. _Maybe…_

Link walked over there and merged with it. Moving in the walls always screwed his perception big time but if he moved just like that- His wallet was seven rupees heavier. This was crazy.

Still, he was stealing money from Yuga. Petty revenge for the win.

He rushed to the next room, clearing the soldiers in the narrow corridor one by one before running up the stairs. Once he made it to the third floor, the door locked behind him.

 _A trap_. Soldiers all around him. Someone throwing spears above his head, aiming at him. He swung blindly, running away, a soldier gone in a puff of smoke. He barely dodged a flying spear before something swung at him from behind. It was only thanks to reflex that Link was able to deliver a counterattack. It still hurt. He fell on his knees and crawled up the stairs, rolled to the side just in time to avoid another spear. He got up to his feet just in time to deal with the two new soldiers. Out of dumb luck, one of the spears landed on one of them, erasing him on the spot. Link took care of the other, as well as the one that lingered behind.

There was another soldier on top of the staircase but first- that spear thrower. Link could see him on a ledge on top. Nothing his wall-merging ability could not reach. One positive thing about this power; as long as he is a painting, nothing can scratch him.

Though that spear he got on the shoulder once he reemerged from the wall did scratch him. Deeply.

Link kicked him off the ledge. The impact shattered him to ash. _Now for the last one_. He merged with the wall again and emerged at the top of the staircase. The red soldier never saw him coming.

With the last of them down, the doors were open again.

Run ran through the next corridor, ignoring the statues, up until the front door slammed closed right before his face again. The two statues before him activated.

_Armos. Of course._

Two good things about those ancient automatons; they only activated if he was right next to them, and they were really fragile. Link destroyed all seven of them at his own pace. After some thinking, he stuffed their glowing yellow cores in Gulley’s pouch. He had no idea what he would do of them or how could he use them, but why let them go to waste?

Link was outside again. He breathed in the air, still polluted with dark magic, but far clearer. It was getting dark again. The view from atop the castle was breathtaking. He could see all of Kakariko Village in detail, the woods… Din, he could even see his house!

Link leaned down by the railing and looked around at the courtyard. To his relief, Sahasrahla was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully he was back at the village.

_I’ll have to finish this quickly… I have to find Zelda!_

Weirdly enough, there were more rupees in the walls here. Link took them, and with a last long look at the view, he climbed the stairs to the other door and went back inside.

* * *

The sight before his shook him to his core.

There she was, Princess Zelda, pale and terrified. And at her heels? Yuga. Walking slowly to her, like he had all the time of the world, cornering her at the top of the staircase, _toying_ with her like a cat did with a mouse, his face twisted to a full-toothed smile like this was the best joke he had ever heard.

They sounded like they were in a middle of an argument – if Zelda’s horrified pleas could count as such.

“Your rampage through my kingdom must stop, Yuga! How many more of my people do you intend to take!?”

He had to _move_. He had to move _right now_ but somehow, he could not. He was frozen in place, he could only stand as an observer.

“My little acquisition tour of Hyrule is nearly over, Princess” said Yuga mockingly. “It really was quite a spree. A Sage here, a Sage there. And now your Impa too. She put up quite the fight, for an old hag.”

_Oh no._

“I’ve already gotten all seven Sages.”

 _Oh NO_.

“What do you plan to do with them?” She did not _know_!?

“Never you mind. For I have one more painting to make. So please, rid your mind of all concern. I don’t want your portrait to feature any unsightly worry lines. I’m already plagues with enough of those as it is!” What did _that_ mean? “I wish to preserve you at your very best. I daresay you’re a match even for Her Grace.”

Wait, what? _Her Grace_?

“Confess it, you monster!” roared Zelda, and Goddesses she was furious. “You plan to use our Seven Sages to revive Ganon, don’t you?”

Yuga ignored her with what must have been practiced ease – Link had seen this exact scene being replayed with Seres, and he _could not move._

“Ah, what golden hair you have… Such bright locks are normally far too sunny for my tastes. But for you, I’ll make an exception. And those soft pinks compliment it _so_ well… Indeed, this land of Hyrule has quite the way to make the most out of the most unsightly of combinations.”

Zelda was sobbing. “You’re not even listening to me!”

Yuga’s gaze turned cold. “I find your protests inelegant” he replied, with a voice like ice. “Not to mention irrelevant. I wish only to possess your beauty, Princess Zelda of Hyrule, not all these ugly words of yours!”

The use of her full title startled her to silence.

“Oh, you are going to make for a spectacular painting, my dear!”

_No, please, not again NOT AGAIN_

The chamber echoed with her screams.

It was happening. Again. The golden light filled the room and Zelda was trapped in the vortex, her screams fading as if from a distance before vanishing altogether.

Only a portrait remained. Zelda with her hands held in prayer, framed by gold.

The silence was deafening.

Slowly, Yuga stepped to the floating portrait, touching the frame with _reverence_ , stroking it. His eyes were wide, drinking in the details. A disbelieving chuckle left his lips.

“My lovely masterpiece! How utterly scrumptious! Dare I say, it’s my best work ever!” The worst part of it all was, Link could not even argue with that.

And it was the shock from actually _agreeing_ with this monster that finally gave him the strength to move.

And move he did. But he only managed a few feet before Yuga spotted him. His cold gaze froze him all over again.

“…What’s that?”

Link felt like a disgusting bug being seen under a magnifying lens.

Yuga’s expression turned from disgust to shocked recognition. “YOU! Didn’t I splash you on some wall somewhere? How did you get out!?”

Link would _not_ sell out Ravio on _this_ guy. “Ancient Hyrule secret.”

That pissed him off even more. “How impudent! Emerging? Foisting your inferior form upon my eyes? I will not tolerate this! You should have remained nothing but a stain on that wall! But I will be glad to leave you HERE, once and for all!”

_Don’t tell me he-_

Fortunatelly, Link’s worst fears were not realized. Instead of fighting him himself, Yuga manifested four soldiers out of the wall and… made a run for it?

With Zelda’s portrait.

_That Goddesses-forsaken-!_

Link did not have the time to complete the thought, as the soldiers were upon him. It was nothing he had not dealt with before – the trap in the previous room was far worse – but by the time he was done with them Yuga was long gone.

The next few minutes were a blur. Link followed Yuga to an overly complicated staircase system filled with soldiers; Link took out the bomber with his arrows and cut down the others with his sword, finding himself outside but not taking time for a breather. Instead he rushed right in through the other door and it was the same thing all over again – the soldiers and the bomber and link taking them down the exact same way.

Link finally made it to the sixth floor but it was much the same – a corridor filled with soldiers, with archers on platforms on each side. Link defeated the soldiers but wasted no time on the archers.

He was outside again. He took out the lone soldier, and rushed straight inside.

Empty.

That alone made Link pause. _Empty_? The previous traps were intense, for lack for a better word. Death traps. Yet here, there was little more than an empty room with two staircases. No soldiers of any kind, no statues. Nothing.

The silence was far worse than the earlier chaos. On the other hand – _I must be close_.

He picked one of the staircases and climbed it. They both led to the same place anyway.

Outside.

It was a massive balcony, with a rich red carpet marking a clear path. Blue stone tiles were beneath it, almost transparent in how clear they were. The edges and the columns were all marked by clear white marble, sparkling in the setting sun with all the colours of the rainbow. Link had never understood how beautiful marble could be before this.

This balcony too, was empty.

Behind him was a gate. Another set of these emerald green doors. Above the gateway were four precious stones – Link could not tell what they were. Emerald green at the core and blue outside. In the middle marked in gold was the Triforce.

The darkness coming through that doorway was unbearable. He could feel his pulse in his scar – and a tension like static. The air was cold up here.

All the beauty around him was sucked in by the darkness that oozed through this door.

Link took a deep breath, steadied his heart. He pulled the bottle from his pouch and took a tiny sip of the blue potion. It was enough to heal all of his scrapes.

He was ready.

It was now the time to face Yuga.

* * *

He entered the chamber. The door locked behind him. As expected.

Yuga was standing in front of an oddly colourful wall, Zelda’s portrait hanging over his head. He was almost _cooing_ over it; not even Link’s entrance was enough to draw his attention.

“What a beautiful masterpiece… My talent is almost frightening.”

Link did not know about “talent”, but frightening was right… How many portraits like that were scattered across Hyrule? How many people were trapped in that crushing darkness?

“And there there’s you, worm.” So he _had_ noticed him. “I can barely bring myself to look at such an inferior creature.” Yuga turned to face him. To Link’s surprise, the expression on his face was not scorn. It was curiosity. “And yet, there seems to be more to you than meets the eye. How DID you manage to escape that wall?”

Link was giving him nothing. Let him wonder.

“Never mind”, said Yuga, seeing that Link was not going to answer. “I don’t have time to listen to your prattle. I have what I’ve come to Hyrule for, so I refuse to let you delay my departure any further. And as you seem invulnerable to my usual methods, I’ll have to take a more drastic approach.”

Link braced himself.

A crazed laugh escaped Yuga’s lips. “Farewell – for the LAST time!”

A bright flash filled Link’s eyes, and the boy instinctively took cover behind one of the large pillars in the room. However, the light was not an attack. Yuga had merged with the wall – _so that’s what it looks like from the outside_ – and somehow split himself in three.

Link abandoned his cover and just as the three Yugas emerged from the wall.

 _Shi-_ He barely avoided that blast.

It was massive. White thunder tore through the room in almost all directions, creating a net – and Link was trapped in it. The intense sensation of magic tore through him, and the air prickled his skin.

Once again the Yugas went back in the wall, and started spinning around like some twisted game of cups and balls. All Link could do was wait again.

 _One of them HAS to be the real one…_ But how to tell them apart?

Once again Yuga reemerged, and Link started frantically looking for a difference between the three. He did not get much time – the thunder was exactly the same as before. This time it grazed him.

Pain. Like a shock but _so much worse_. Then it was numbed. The blade was glowing.

_Thank you._

Yuga went back into the wall before Link had a chance to retaliate. Link stayed in place and tracked him with his eyes, trying to steady his breath. This time when Yuga came back, he was ready.

_The shadows. That’s the key._

Link lunged, sword raised before him. He could see the flash reflected in the sorcerer’s eyes. Link sliced, drawing his sword in a wide arc. A hiss of pain. The bright flash of thunder followed from the copies, but Link was safe – the lightning did not reach him. Yuga, all three of them, went back into the wall. This time it took Link a few moments to spot him, but he made it. Rolling around one of the pillars, he delivered a decisive strike against his foe.

For the most part, that seemed to infuriate him.

It could just be Link’s idea, but now Yuga was spinning around the room faster than before. However, Link knew what to expect. Now that he had found the real Yuga and his tells, tracking him was easy.

Link dodged the lightning once again, and thrust his sword as deeply into Yuga as he could.

Of course that did not kill him. Link did not expect it to. However, it was enough to bring him down to his knees.

The mage slipped off Link’s blade just as his magic failed and the doors revealed themselves. The colourful wall vanished to reveal a new path. Yuga was struggling to stay up, the wound on his chest rapidly closing – if that’s what _this_ could be called. Link felt more like stabbing in thick mud than in a monster or a Stalfos. Just what had this guy _done_ to himself?

Regardless, he was gasping in pain. “I bore of this fight.” Link felt a flash of indignity. He had just _ran him through_ with his sword!

With a wave of his hand, a light appeared around Zelda’s portrait. It flowed from it’s resting place above the ground of the fight, and landed in Yuga’s hands.

“Once I have released Ganon, lowly creatures like you won’t be worth my time.”

Link finally had it. “Are you listening to yourself!? Ganon won’t care about you no matter what you do! He’ll just kill you like everyone else!”

And… he left. He had not listened to a word Link said.

Link sighed in frustration. _I must follow him… The top of the castle can’t be that far off… He has nowhere to run…_

And so he did.

* * *

The wind was biting. The silence was eerie. Everything was surrounded in an orange glow. Beneath his feet was a long thick red carpet, somehow unaffected by the elements.

Link could see the Sanctuary beneath his feet. He could see the cave entrance he had used to climb Death Mountain. He could see Rosso’s house a little further. Beyond that, the Lost Woods, covered with mist like always.

He had never realized how close they all were to each other.

For a few moments Link lost himself, staring from up above the place where it all started.

On the sides of the long bridge were mighty pillars of stone, lined with a semi-opaque green lines; Link could only assume it was gemstone of some sort.

There was an entrance to a tower at the end of the bridge. The way was long, but something stopped Link from running. The gravity of this place.

Instead he walked there. It felt like being tied up.

He did not expect what he found inside.

_Is this… Zelda’s office?_

For a place this high up, it looked inviting. The room was surprisingly small, and circular like the tower it was in. There was a large round carpet in deep red with the Royal emblem on it, and the huge window, almost as high as the ceiling, allowed for a spectacular view of the forest and the mountains far beyond the border. The setting sun cast a warm golden light on everything. The light blue curtains on the walls chased away the cold.

Zelda’s office was right in from of the window, turned towards the door. There was a soft couch of white silk in the corner, with matching yellow cushions. A comfy red chair on another. Clearly, Zelda made this place comfortable for visitors.

Still, there were personal touches. A mirror with the triforce symbol on it, with a few bottles of perfume. Rose and lavender. Classic. Above the chair was a whole bunch of porcelain decorated plates; from flowers to landscapes. Zelda’s desk was a mess of papers, though nowhere near the chaos in the Elder’s house.

Zelda lived here. She probably passed countless hours in this room, working on papers and admiring the view of far-off lands that she could never reach.

Yuga was nowhere to be found. Where had he gone?

Had he turned into a portrait? But the walls were uncovered… except for one.

A curtain with the Royal emblem had been thrown on it. Link could make out… _something_ oozing from bellow it. It filled his nostrils. It made his head hurt. It was black.

Link picked the curtain and threw it aside.

There was a crack on the wall.

It was taller than him, jagged yet staying in a straight line, the bricks around it dyed with greens, yellows and purples, spreading like moss, like water paint on paper. The black smoke came through the crack, suffocating and _ill_.

It smelled like death.

Beyond a shadow of doubt, Link knew that Yuga had escaped through this crack. And there was only one way he could have done it.

Link touched the crack. Everything in him was _screaming_ in protest. _Pushing him away. Telling him he did not **belong**._

Link pushed through.

* * *

_A whirlwind. Shadow and light and colour and smoke and power and void. There was no path ahead but he pushed forward._

_Something cracked._

_And he fell._

_And not for a moment did he consider how in the world he was going to get out again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, do not expect such frequent updates. From now on I'll be writing at my normal pace which means... You won't be seeing another chapter for several months.
> 
> Also, from now on I would really appreciate your comments. Thank you to those of you who are reading!


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